


Adore Thy Neighbor

by Jay2Noir



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Acting, Actors, Alternate Universe, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Atlanta, Baby, Boss/Employee Relationship, Cheating, Comfort, Death Threats, Divorce, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gaslighting, Georgia, Halloween, Hurt/Comfort, Love, Lust, Minor infant character, Modern AU, Reader Insert, Secondary pregnant character, Sex, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Smut, Star Wars Modern AU, Surprise Date, Tag As I Go, Texting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:48:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 59,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28470405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jay2Noir/pseuds/Jay2Noir
Summary: The job ‘Personal Shopper’ was not one that you ever thought your Public Relations degree would put you in the running for. Regardless, every other avenue had failed you, and you decided to take the job anyway. Free rent and utilities was something you couldn’t pass up, even though the pay, in turn, wasn’t that good. At least Mr. up and coming actor Ben Solo and his wife Hannah were kind and caring toward you. However, Halloween night brings something you were better off not seeing, and try as you might you simply cannot free your mind from the atrocity you had witnessed. Your world spirals out of control as you try to establish what you and everyone else around you deserves, and you can come up with no way to remedy the situation. Those that were once kind toward you began to turn on you, and the only person you have for comfort is Ben Solo himself. Where this will lead you, you don't know. What you do know is he deserves so much better than what he's been dealt.
Relationships: Ben Solo/Original Female Character(s), Ben Solo/Reader, Ben Solo/You, Kylo Ren/Original Female Character(s), Kylo Ren/Reader, Kylo Ren/You
Comments: 7
Kudos: 63





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Potential major spoiler below, but adding it as a content warning anyway since this is a sensitive subject.  
> But before that, I just have to say I am SO excited to share this story with everyone. I started it in October and stopped completely in November to work on my novel for NaNo. I've been sitting on it because I didn't want it to be stuck at the bottom of my stats for 2020 lol.  
> Happy New Year everyone!  
> .  
> ..  
> ...  
> ..  
> .  
> **Cheating is a prominent theme in this fic. This does not occur between reader and Kylo.

The day you walked across the stage, accepted the book that would hold your degree that had been mailed to you the month before, and said goodbye to the University of Tennessee for good, was the day you felt like your hope would never die. You had spent the last six years of your life working toward your degree day in and day out, accumulating thousands of dollars of student debt and barely staying afloat while managing your education, your personal life, and family life all at once. By the time you were packing all of your stuff out of your dorm for the last time and returning home to your parent's house in Franklin, you were already planning what your next move would be.

Your mother would playfully argue with you day and night about putting your degree in Public Relations to good use in Los Angeles. That was where all of the best of the best celebrities were, after all. You always had the same response, and that was simple:

“Mom, all of the celebrities being there means all of my competition would be moving there too,” You’d moan as she’d roll her eyes. It was true, though. You wanted nothing more than to help notable people look and act their best for the media. You and several others from your graduating class had heard whispers that several of your classmates also had the idea that moving to L.A. would be the best course of action. Just imagining how many applications would be sent in for one job opening in L.A. made your head spin because it wouldn't just be people from your graduating class, but from other colleges all around the world. You wanted to be different, to stand out as much as you could. 

There would be no Chicago, no New York City or San Francisco. Instead, you looked at places such a Colorado, Texas, and D.C. You had a goal of making it out of your parent’s house in under two years. It was a generous time period, and you found that, after the first year that you remained unemployed, you were thinking you’d need to extend your stay. By now you had already picked up a full-time job as a secretary in an elementary school just so you could have your own income, and you were becoming worried. You knew it was rare for someone in your field of study to get a job straight out of college, but you were still just as discouraged. It seemed like every day you were applying for any job you could. Jobs in Tennessee and the surrounding states, jobs in smaller states like in Delaware for companies and other firms, and you even applied to jobs in California like you had argued so hard not to. At this point, you were just trying to make something out of the degree you worked so hard for. You would take anything you could get your hands on, really.

Phone and virtual interviews came and went, flights out to Arizona and Michigan were completed for in person interviews, and the closest you ever got was meeting with a camp that needed help advertising for the summer. It was an animation camp in New York, and it would pay you so well for the summer but they passed you up for a much older woman with way more experience than you had. It was tragic, and returning home to Tennesee with your hands empty was more defeating than you thought. Your parents told you to chin up, that you’d always be welcome in their house until you decided otherwise. You accepted their offers, but still slunk off to your room with an intense urge to cry. Your flight had gotten in at 11:30 at night, and by the time you made it back to your room you were ready for bed. Wiping your face free of any stray tears you undressed and made your way under your heavy comforter. Tomorrow would be better. You just had to keep the faith.

You closed your eyes tight and tried to sleep, but the all important pinging noise from your phone indicated you had gotten an email and your eyes instantly went wide open. You contemplated leaving it until morning; after the day you had you weren’t sure you could handle another rejection. You closed your eyes again, perfectly content in ignoring the jingle in favor of sleeping. The thought hit you that perhaps it would be better to check it now rather than in the morning when you could be facing a huge disappointment, but you still thought better of it. The least you could do was end your day with the satisfaction that you weren’t being rejected again.

But what if it wasn’t a rejection? 

What if it was an email about setting up an interview, or another job opportunity, or even someone saying they changed their mind on hiring you? Your eyes opened wide again as you stared at your phone that was charging on your bedside table. One look wouldn’t hurt. Besides, it was probably spam mail anyway. You decided that you’d check it just real quick. If the headline was something other than good news then you’d simply put it off till the morning. It was a simple task, but when you picked your phone up the pounding of your heart told you otherwise.

Your lock screen illuminated and showed you a picture of your favorite lead character from Game of Thrones, and you didn’t even bother to look at the notification preview on the lock screen. Your home screen was a brighter picture of you and a few of your college friends out to dinner to celebrate your graduation, but you hardly gave the photo a second look as you scrolled through your home pages to get to your email. The icon was bright blue with a small red circle in the corner with the number one to indicate that you had, indeed gotten an email. You closed your eyes for a moment, wondered if you really wanted to do this, then without another thought tapped on the app. You held your tongue between your teeth as your emails populated, the newest one reading _Response to your Indeed Resume._ ” You hesitated, wondering if this constituted good news or bad news. You had already come this far, you might as well open it and find out. You held your breath as you tapped on the line, opened it to find one of the shortest emails you had seen since your graduation:

_To Indeed Applicant,_

_Hello. We were recommended your resume through Indeed. We feel like your background would make you a good candidate for a position my client has open. Up and coming actor Ben Solo (stage name Kylo Ren) is looking for a new personal shopper for him and his wife in Atlanta Georgia. Would you be willing to set up a time for me to call you for a quick phone interview? Our entire team would appreciate it so much! Jut reply here and I will get back to you as soon as I can. Thank you for your time._

_-A. Hux, talent agent for Ben Solo, Kylo Ren_

You blinked at your phone, unsure of what to think of what you had just read. You didn’t know of any actor called Kylo Ren, and you didn’t know why they would write an email addressing you as “Indeed Applicant.” Had you even applied to this job, or a job like this? You immediately jumped into the indeed app and looked through the jobs you had applied to, searching for keywords such as 'Kylo Ren' and 'personal shopper.' Nothing came up, and you were left even more confused. You were a public relations specialist, not a personal shopper. Another defeat. Another defeat that you had stayed awake an extra five minutes to discover. You locked your phone and set it down, holding back even more tears. What a horrible way to end your day.

The longer you sat in bed, the longer you thought about being a personal shopper and how much of a slap to a face it was. You would be far more help to this Ben Solo individual if he’d hire you for what your resume stated your specialty was in. It was like you were being taunted, made fun of and bullied by the universe for not finding any job in your field and it just hurt so much. You hugged your pillow tighter, looking for any positive you could grasp at. You still had a roof over your head, a stable job that provided you with money to pay your cell phone bill and to buy food of your own. You felt yourself drifting off to sleep simply thinking about the job and trying to think of how and why Indeed would match you to it. Just as you felt yourself slip from consciousness an interesting thought hit you: Maybe they did want you as a PR person, but had to hire you on elsewhere first? 

You opened your eyes yet again and just stared into the darkness that was your childhood bedroom. Was that plausible, or were you just getting your hopes up? This was the first time anyone had ever contacted you for a job first, so maybe this one would be different? Perhaps it would be worth a shot; maybe they’d tell you something different once you got to talking to him? You reached back over to your phone and woke it up. You pulled the email up and read it line by line again. It couldn’t hurt to try. So far your success rate in finding a job in your field was zero percent. At least a personal shopper for a celebrity would look good on a resume, right?

Right. You hit the reply button, took a deep breath, and then went to typing out a reply. What’s the worst that could happen, really? You have a phone interview and it isn’t your thing, so you pass? You mustered up as much confidence as you could and began tapping away, letting Mr. A. Hux know that you’d be delighted to set up a time for a phone interview. You hit send, then set your phone down for what you hoped would be the last time. Although it wasn’t your dream job, you decided the avenue was worth exploring. In fact, you were so excited to see Hux’s response that you stayed awake for another twenty minutes to see if you’d get a response even though it was past midnight by now. Eventually, you gave up and decided you’d at least have it to look forward to in the morning. For now, you needed to rest.

The next day you sat in your car, your earbuds stuck in your ears and your phone sitting on your bouncing thigh which jumped over and over in your lap. That morning you had received an email back from Mr. Hux stating he was excited to speak with you. He asked if 3 pm would be a good time to call you, and you emailed him back almost instantly with a yes. At 2:55 you got yourself situated, and once the clock struck three o’clock you began the waiting game. Interviews had always made you so nervous, especially as of late since everything was at stake. You nervously fussed with the hem of your shirt as the clock on your phone struck 3:01 pm, and you thought the worst. Frantically you opened your email app and went back through Hux’s email, thinking maybe you were supposed to call him instead, but just as it loaded an incoming call took up the top part of your screen. It was a 404 number, and the tagline read _Atlanta, Georgia._ A small smile spread across your face. This was it! Excitedly you swiped the green button over and answered with a quick Hello. Much to your contentment, an equally as happy voice greeted you from the other line.

“Hello there!” He answered. The first thing you noticed about him was his unmistakable accent. The two words weren't enough for you to place him, but you could tell it wasn't a typical Georgian accent. He continued to speak, asking you if he had reached the right person or not and referring to you by your name.

“Yes, yes that’s me.” You assured him with a giggle. 

“Ah, excellent,” He breathed, and you realized that, by his accent, he must have been British. “Are you ready for your phone interview then?” He asked, to which you nodded your head excitedly as if he could see you.

“Of course!” You responded. You got a laugh in return, which put you at ease. It was nice to hear someone who was relaxed and down to Earth for the first time in months. 

“Excellent, excellent. Why don’t you start by telling me what you know about Mr. Ben Solo? What you’ve seen him in, his favorite projects of yours, and so on,” You were prepared for this question. After confirming your interview you took some time to look up Mr. Solo and found out what he had acted in.

“Oh, sure. I know I’ve seen him act in the T.V show _Boys_ , as a minor role. He’s also been in a lot of Independent films that I’ve been interested in like _Tetraform_ and _You, and Me, and He_.” Kylo Ren really didn’t have a long list of roles, and many of them were minor or background characters, or characters with only one or two lines. Because of this, interviewing for the role of his personal shopping wasn’t that intimidating.

“Right, right. All great mediums,” Hux spoke cheerfully. “So Mr. Ben Solo, or Kylo Ren as his stage name is, is an up and coming actor based in Atlanta Georgia, and he’s looking to take on some more serious roles in the next few months. Mr. Solo is a very private person. He doesn’t mind giving interviews and being snapped by the paparazzi, you know, free publicity and the like, but he’d rather not be seen in public all too often. So he and his wife Hannah Solo were looking to hire someone to be their personal shopper. They need someone to do their regular grocery shopping and their odd ball stuff like furniture shopping, medications, etcetera. Does that sound like something you’d be interested in?” 

“Absolutely!” You said, staying as upbeat as you could. “I feel like my skills that I’ve gained through my college experience would serve Mr. Solo well.” A burst of confidence washed over you, and you found yourself smiling proudly at the road ahead of you.

“Ah, good to hear. Will you tell me a little bit more about your degree and how you think it would be of use to him?” He asked, and you were more than willing to comply with him. You had rehearsed this in your head last night as well. Without coming out and telling him that you were hopeful you could become Mr. Solo’s PR person, you told him that you were hopeful you could become his PR person.

“As a PR specialist, I know how to be discreet when it comes to people’s privacy. Getting the public to see what they want you to see is a specialty of mine. Not that, you know, I’m going to be advertising myself as Ben Solo’s personal shopper, but with my skills I know I’ll be able to keep his family's privacy just as he wants.” You said confidently, to which Hux let out another ‘excellent.’ He sounded pleased, and you were pleased as well. This interview was going much better than your last ones.

“So, the pay he is offering is ten dollars an hour,” He started, to which you almost choked on your own saliva. Ten dollars an hour was nothing for your degree. You almost decided to end the interview right then and there, but decided to let him continue speaking. “I know that may be kind of low, but it’s three dollars over minimum wage in Georgia. He’s also offering to pay for your rent and utilities with his own funds rather than yours if you’re willing to live in the apartment next door to his.” Again, you nearly choked. Rent and utilities paid, plus ten an hour to spend on whatever you wanted or needed? That sounded like a dream.

“Um, that sounds great actually,” You said as your mood immediately turned around. “Can I ask what the hours will be like?”

“Ah, yes. Full time, five days a week with optional weekends and nights--paid of course. Your pay would be direct deposited into your bank account every week. He also offers his employees full time benefits as well,” A big smile cracked over your face as you thought about how great of an opportunity this was. You’d be able to get out of your parent’s house and be on your own while doing a relatively easy job. Great pay, great benefits, and it would definitely get your name out in the celebrity world. “So, I’ll end by asking you this. Are you interested in taking the job?” Your heart pounded as you took the hem of your shirt in your hand and dug your nail into it. Of course you were! But were they really about to hire you here over the phone?

“Yes, it sounds wonderful!” You said, almost feeling as if you could cry.

“Alright then,” Hux said, taking a breath. “You’re based in Tennessee right?” He asked.

“Yes, not too far away from Atlanta.”

“Excellent. Why don’t I schedule a day for you to come down and have a face to face interview with us, then we can work out the details. You can meet Mr. and Mrs. Ren and can decide from there about if this is something you’d like to take on.” He said, sounding sincere. You couldn’t believe that this interview had gone so well; you’d even consider it even more successful than how far you got in the animation camp. 

“I can do that, no problems.” You assured him. The two of you chatted a little bit more about meeting spots, how you’d get there and when you’d get there, until he agreed that he’d speak with Mr. Ren and email you with the details that work best for him. You got off the phone with a bright thank you, then did a little happy dance in the front seat of your car. It might not have been your dream job, but it was an in for your future career. You stepped out, ready to celebrate the good news with your family. Maybe all you needed to do was step back and look at the job in a new perspective; one that would set the foundation for your future.


	2. Chapter 2

It was only a few days later that you were standing in front of the sink finishing up a load of dishes as your mother put away the remainder of her world famous homemade pumpkin pie. Your father had fallen asleep in front of the TV watching the Tennessee Titans play the Baltimore Ravens in what was his favorite part of the season: Football. It was like a scene out of your childhood, and made you regret the fact that you’d be leaving for a day in order to have your face to face interview with Mr. Ben Solo.

“So who is this guy again?” Your mother asked as she picked the small pumpkin shaped gingerbread cookie from the top of the now half eaten golden pumpkin pie. She only added it so she could take a photo and share it on her Facebook and make the mouths of her friend's water, but now she was taking a bite of it as she waited for your response.

“Kylo Ren, some actor who needs a personal shopper for his family.” You explained, setting the last of the dishes down into the dish strainer and leaning against the side of the counter. You had only Googled his name and glanced at his IMDB page, didn’t even know what he looked like. As far as you knew, the man was a nobody; just like you. Which was good, because then you didn’t have to worry about messing up your first job in your chosen field.

“Well, that’s still good,” Your mom said as she set the rest of the pie into the fridge. “Good transition into a public relations lady, right?”

“Yeah, that was my thought too.” You smiled at her. Your mother was always looking out for you and her only concern was that you were happy with your choices. You loved her for that, and you didn’t know how you’d fare without her if you were selected to take the job in Atlanta.

“Maybe he’ll recommend you to some other celebrities, ones that actually need PR people if you’re nice enough.” You laughed at her. Leave it to your mom to make your uncertain situation that much more bearable. 

“Maybe, if I’m lucky.” You said, to which she walked over to you with a bowl half full of spinach.

“You’re always lucky, baby,” She said, placing a kiss on your forehead. You leaned in for it; you always had after you so coldly rejected a kiss from her to impress your little clueless friends when she dropped you off at the mall at age twelve. It wasn’t until you were older and realized why she had stopped giving you kisses that you allowed her to kiss you again, and you cherished each and every one of them. “That birthmark on your hip has never lied to you, right?” You chuckled, took a look down at your clothed hip and reminded yourself of the birthmark you held near and dear to your heart.

The dark brown imperfections clustered on your skin vaguely resembled a four leaf clover. Your parents both said they considered naming you ‘Clover’ because of it, but they thought it would have been too cliche. Instead, the nickname Clover grew with you, along with the name Clo. In the end you almost wished your parents would have named you that instead, because you were much more comfortable with people calling you Clo. 

“Yep, maybe it won’t fail me tomorrow when I go to meet these people.” You said just as your mother covered the bowl of spinach and set it in the fridge.

“You want me or daddy to come along with you, just in case these people are really a part of a mob, or the mafia, or a pyramid scheme, or something?” You laughed out loud, buckling at your hips and staring down at the floor. 

“Or maybe they’re a part of a cult, and they want to recruit me,” You said just as your mother began to calm down from her laughing fit. Your parents had always warned you about shady people that would want to hurt you, like people who run pyramid schemes and cults, but you wanted to do this on your own. You wanted to be a big girl and show them and the world that you were ready, ready for the real world and ready to be successful in your field. “I think I’ll take it on on my own, mama. I promise that I’ll be safe.” You said with a sigh. You could see it in your mother’s eyes that she was disappointed. She probably just wanted to make sure you were safe, and she probably had the same feeling as you did that this would all work out the way you wanted it to. Maybe she was just worried you’d back out of the driveway and never come back. You were her only child after all, and she adored you to pieces. 

“Your father and I will just be a phone call away if you need anything, baby,” She reminded you with a warm smile. “You gonna be up for a while longer, or should we say our goodbyes now?” She asked dramatically, to which you rolled your eyes.

“Mom, I’m only going to be gone for two days.” You said. You’d be driving out to the Hilton hotel in Atlanta tomorrow morning at seven AM, checking in at one PM and then waiting there to meet Mr. Ben Solo and his agent at the Metro Cafe Diner for your interview. You were then free to see the city, to become acquainted with the shops around town and so on, and the next day you’d be checking out and heading back home. Mr. Hux had told you that he’d have an answer by the second day as to if they wanted to hire you or not. That was much different than the last few jobs you had interviewed for, but you realized that none of the other jobs offered to pay your rent and bills for you. Mr. Ben Solo probably understood that this would be a big change for you and wanted to have an answer as soon as he could--which you were thankful for. After helping your mom put the rest of your dinner away and saying your late night goodbyes to your parents, you kept these positives in your mind as you headed upstairs to get ready for bed. However, the more you thought about it, even more questions arose in your mind.

Hux offered to pay for your hotel room for the night and for the gas it would take for you to get there. He only paid for the gas because originally he was going to pay for a flight to get you here, but a drive down to Atlanta would only take five hours so you were much comfortable driving. He offered all of this to you, plus lunch at the Cafe, without skipping a beat, like he had done this many times before. As you set your alarm for six AM the next day, you couldn’t help but to wonder how much of your competition would be checking into the Hilton tomorrow afternoon too. You never did see the Indeed posting, but you could imagine the qualifications needed to be a Personal Shopper were sparse. For all you knew, you could be one of thousands of people they could be interviewing within the next week, and it could very well end with you going home empty handed. You turned your head and stared at your suitcase that was right at the end of your bed. It would be worth it. Just a few days away from home and you’d find out if you had a new job or not. You finally shut your eyes and started the process of putting yourself to sleep. It was just another interview; there was no reason to be nervous.

Your parents were asleep as you got up and got yourself ready the next day. Your stomach was a bundle of nerves as you showered, dressed in some comfortable clothing for your drive, then gathered up your suitcase and headed toward the front door. It was still dark out as you wheeled your suitcase to the bottom of the driveway where your silver Nissan Altima was parked on the street, but that was okay. It was quiet and serene, which was exactly what you needed. You pushed all negative thoughts from your mind as you loaded up your suitcase into your passenger seat and then walked quietly over to the other side. Sitting down and starting up your car you took one last look at your home, hoping that you’d be back soon with some good news. From there, you plugged the address of the hotel into your phone and willed your car to life. In four hours and 58 minutes you’d make it to your first visit to Atlanta, and hopefully you’d have it in you to make a good impression.

Driving had always been calming for you. You thought you enjoyed your time much more being in a car by yourself and not in a tin can hundreds of thousands of feet in the air with dozens of other people. Amongst the female voice that would tell you to merge onto Interstate 24 and continue for what seemed to be an endless amount of miles you would listen to your favorite music. The familiar tunes and lyrics calmed you, and you were able to take in the scenery. It was the middle of October and the leaves were just beginning to turn from bright, healthy greens to light, muted yellows. Fall had always been one of your favorite times of the year, and you were excited to be traveling during this fun time. Not that you expected anything much different; Georgia was even further south than Tennessee was and you knew it would always be hot while you were there. But it was still exciting. You decided that, if nothing else, this would be a neat little getaway to a brand new city, and that was good enough for you to be excited for the rest of your car ride.

After a few bouts of regular morning traffic and then another two hours of open road, you finally passed into the city limits of Atlanta Georgia. You noticed that it almost immediately became busier as the buildings grew higher and higher. It wasn’t something you were used to as you had always lived in the suburbs all of your life, but it was definitely a nice change of pace. You had watched the sun rise in real time, and now at twelve thirty eastern time it shone bright above you. City goers were out and about, walking to their destinations one after the other and creating clusters of people of all shapes, sizes, and colors. It was great to see that there was so much diversity in Atlanta; you could definitely take up residency in a bustling place like this. 

In the stop and go that was city traffic you continued on your way, guided by your GPS until you reached your destination. Once you pulled up you were astounded to see the beast that was the Hilton.

It was a funny shaped building to start. Sort of like a three pointed star, it had three main wings that were covered by little rectangular shapes that gave those rooms what you had to guess was a stunning view of the city. Down the center of each of these wings were even longer windows which had to showcase common rooms or lobbies on each floor. As you pulled around to the side the housed the parking garage, you stared at the monstrously elegant hotel. Mr. Hux had sent you $150 for gas and for parking, and he paid for your night. Just based on the outside of the hotel you had to think that, even though Mr. Ben Solo wasn’t that well known, he had to have been a rich man to put you in a hotel like this. You went slowly as you pulled up to the parking attendant who stood at a podium on your side of the car, rolled down your window to figure out where you were supposed to go.

“Good afternoon, ma'am,” He said, cheerily nodding his head at you. His uniform was a deep red and black, clean, wrinkle free, and pristine looking, with a white name tag that had the name EDWIN in large black letters. The employees were well dressed and kind around here, which was a detail that you appreciated so much. “Will you be taking advantage of valet today, or parking yourself in our garage?” 

“The garage please,” You said with a smile.

“Do you have a reservation?” Edwin asked you, to which you nodded your head and reached for your phone.

“Yes I do. I believe it was booked under the last name Hux.” You said as you started to pull up the reservation. Edwin, however, disapproved of the action.

“That is not a problem, ma'am,” He said with an understanding laugh. “All I need to know is how long your vehicle will be parked in the garage so I can charge you for the correct amount.” You smiled at him, feeling thankful for his understanding. He was just a parking attendant; why would he need your reservation? 

“Just overnight, I’ll be checking out tomorrow morning.” You let him know. He began typing something on his small tablet that was mounted on his podium.

“So one night will cost you $35, card only,” That was agreeable and well within the amount of money Hux had given you. You reached into your purse, fished out your card and handed it over. He swiped it on the side of his tablet then handed it back with a smile as well as a short receipt. “Thank you so much, ma'am. Just drive straight ahead, up the ramp and choose a spot. You can take the elevator down to the main lobby and check in there. Have a good day.” He said with a nod, sending you on your way. You placed your card and receipt on the seat next to you and pushed your car forward while rolling up your window. Step two complete. Now all you had to do was find a spot and continue on with your day.

You finally found a greenlight hanging from the roof of the parking garage on the third floor, quickly pulled into it before anyone else could take it from you, and turned your car off for the first time in five hours. Your car was so old, but it could still get you around with no issues and, for that, you were thankful. You were thankful you had gotten here with no issues, thankful that Mr. Hux was willing to pay for your gas and parking, and thankful that you were even getting a chance at this job. Thankfulness. You just had to be thankful for this opportunity. 

You unloaded your suitcase and strut confidently across the garage toward the elevators, entered the little glass waiting area and hit the down button. It only took a few moments for an elevator to meet you on your floor and you were quickly stepping in. It was awkward to see four other people standing there waiting for you, and even more awkward when two more people from the first floor packed in with everyone else. The elevator was on the bigger side, that much you were thankful for, but you had never enjoyed being that close with other people. Together, you all rode down to the lobby floor, and when the doors opened you were absolutely struck by what was going on in front of you.

Almost everything was white. The floor was white, the walls were white, the ceiling was white, the couches in the lounge area were white. The only thing that wasn’t white was the diverse group of people that were mingling about. There were people in the small shop, people packed into the cafe and people sipping on liquor in the white bar that was lit with bright blue lights. The lobby itself was packed with so many people and you could hardly find the check in desk. When you finally figured it out you were happy you had managed to make such great time. The line to check in was so long and there was a total of six people running check ins. You knew this was going to take a while, so you hurried around the large white elevator shaft in the middle of the room and found a spot in line. It was only one pm. You were meant to meet Mr. Ren at 2:30. You had time to stand in this long line.

Twenty minutes in and you had moved forward a few feet. You were stood behind a couple dressed to the nines with no luggage. The woman had long blonde hair that looked bleached to you and was dressed in a tight-fitting, low cut short black dress, while the man had buzzed brown hair and a sharp black suit. The entire time you had been behind them neither of them said anything to each other. The woman just stared off into space while the man idly scrolled through his social media on his phone. Were they a couple? Brother and sister? Business partners? You couldn’t tell. You would think that they would be paying more attention to each other no matter what their relation was, but it was none of your business so you tried not to speculate. You took it upon yourself to check your phone as well, to text your mom and let her know you made it to Atlanta safely. As you were typing another text came through:

_ Good afternoon. Would just like to make sure that you’ve made it into the city safely and we’ll still be seeing you at 2:30. _

It was Mr. Hux checking in on you, and as the line moved forward another few feet you smiled at your phone. It told you that he realized there were reasons that could have delayed your interview, and he was likely willing to accommodate you if you had some trouble. You set your suitcase down next to you and began to type out your reply:

_ Good afternoon! I did make it to Atlanta. I’m currently waiting in line to check in. I can still meet you at the cafe at 2:30. _

You sent your message and looked ahead. You hoped you’d be checked in within the hour, but the line was just moving so slow. Just as you were able to take another step forward your phone vibrated again, receiving another text from Mr. Hux:

_ Wonderful. We will pick you up at 2:20 outside of the hotel. We’ll send a text when we’re outside. _

You sent him back a quick “sounds good” in response, then took to waiting for the line to move again. At least you wouldn’t have to go through the trouble of maneuvering your car through the parking lot again just to meet them at a cafe four minutes down the road. Even better was it only took another thirty minutes for you to be stood at the counter and beginning the process of checking in; you couldn’t believe that the entire time you stood behind them, the couple in front of you never said anything to each other.

“Welcome to the Hilton! May I please have your first and last name?” Said an upbeat woman from behind the desk. You smiled at her as you fished into your purse for your wallet, greeted her as you told her your information.

“A man named Hux created the reservation for me.” You explained as she took your ID.

“Oh, Armitage Hux?” She asked. You had forgotten what Mr. Hux’s first name was, so you simply agreed with her. 

“Yeah, he’s conducting an interview for me. I’m only going to be in the city overnight.” You said, to which she smiled sympathetically at you.

“He’s a frequent flyer here,” She said as she began to type away on her keyboard. “Usually for parties and get togethers with that actor he manages, what was his name again?” She asked before sliding your ID across the counter to you.

“Kylo Ren.” You reminded her. It was strange that she would be willing to give up that information about him. Wasn’t there a hotel worker-client privacy agreement she had to sign? Secondly, she only confirmed that Kylo Ren really wasn’t as popular--just like you thought. 

“Ah, yes him,” She said with an enthusiastic giggle. “I’ve not seen him around too often, but I know he doesn’t live too far away!” She smiled at you as she reached under her desk and produced some paperwork for you to sign. From there, the conversation died off. You took a look at your watch and was pleased to see that it was only 2 pm. That meant you’d have twenty minutes to get up to your room and get yourself ready for your interview. She smiled at you as she bid you a good day, and with your paperwork under your arm you began the process of getting to your room.

You boarded the elevator that was erected in the center of the lobby and waited patiently as it lifted you to the 10th floor, stopping at the 2nd, third, 6th and 8th floor to allow other riders off. The view as it went higher and higher was phenomenal. It was as if the hotel was its own ecosystem, with its patrons growing smaller and smaller in the massive open areas while still going about their business. The sight made you feel so small, but star struck at the same time. If this was what Mr. Ren could afford to put you in for your interview, what did his home look like? The elevator pinged, alerting you in a silky smooth voice that it had reached the 10th floor and you turned to leave, making a mental note to use this elevator again if only for the view of the lobby. It was time to relax before your interview; you could take in the sights later. 

You were in room 108, which was just right around the corner from the elevators. On one hand it wouldn’t be a long walk to the elevators, but on the other it would likely be noisy with so many people on your floor waiting for it. It really didn’t matter to you. You’d only be here for a night anyway, and you were staying here for free. You didn’t have any room to complain. Eventually you found your room, swiped your key card and was once again blown away by the quality of the room.

Although it was on the smaller side, you could tell that everything was of the highest quality. With one bed in the center draped in all white sheets and pillows and all white walls, the darkness of everything else contrasted very nicely. The carpet was dark and patterned in lighter dots and lines, the baseboard of the bed was made of dark wood, the doors and tables and entertainment center were all dark brown, and the curtains that hid the bright Georgia day from you were dark as well. It was a very pleasing aesthetic, and one that you wouldn't mind living in for the next day. You wheeled your luggage into the center of the room and lifted it upon the bed so you could start getting dressed for the interview. It would make a great impression to be dressed well and be downstairs a little bit early, so that’s what you set out to do. 

You decided to be bold and pack a colorful red dress to interview in, one that had a built in ribbon for a belt that tied around the side as a bow. The collar was a sloping V neck, and you paired it with golden heels and a red and gold rhinestone bracelet. You tied your hair up in a simple ponytail after giving it a spritz of water and ran some product in it to keep your fly aways down, and you topped off the look with a small amount of citrusy-smelling perfume and decided to call it a day. It was 2:15; you needed to get downstairs. With one final look at yourself in the mirror you decided that you were fierce and confident, and you ran to get your purse which was on the bed. You had found that you had received a text while you were gone from Mr Hux:

_ What are you wearing, so that we can identify you downstairs? _

You laughed at him. He really was so thoughtful. Imagine the horror show that would happen if he accidentally picked up the wrong woman? As your heels clicked loudly behind you on your way to the elevator you typed up your response:

_ Hello! I’m wearing a red dress with gold heels, and my hair is in a ponytail. _

You were shocked to see how quickly the elevator came to pick you up. It only seemed like you were waiting on your floor for a few seconds when the doors opened and you were stepping in. Even luckier was that the elevator was completely empty and you were down in the lobby within no time. When the doors opened again it was 2:17 and, as carefully as you could balance yourself on your heels, you booked it across the lobby to the front door while ducking and dodging all of the people around you. You felt your phone vibrate in your purse but decided you didn’t have time to check it. Again, first impressions were everything and you didn’t want to mess this up. You strut up to the doors and threw them open, almost blinded by the bright and hot sun that shone down on you. There were so many people running around, so many cars parked around that were letting people in and out that you didn’t know exactly where to start. Perhaps taking a look at your phone to see if Hux had texted you would help. You tried to calm your anxious heart as you went to digging for your phone, took a look at your watch and saw it was 2:19. One minute early. You were doing great.

“Excuse me,” Someone said from in front of you. You looked up and saw a tall man dressed in a dashing tuxedo, his hands shoved in his pockets as he stared down at you. It didn’t register that this was probably Mr. Hux here to collect you for your interview. You looked at him from the top of his soft looking, obsidian black hair to the buttons of his visible white button up shirt beginning to pop off, to his long legs and big feet. You were not expecting Mr. Hux to be this good looking, that’s for sure. “Would you be Miss y/l/n?” He asked you, to which a proud grin grew on your face. Just the sound of his silky smooth, baritone voice saying your name made you excited.

“Yes sir, Mr. Hux. It’s good to meet you.” You said as you held your hand out to shake his. For the first time, a smile grew on his face. His eyes were hidden behind a thick, expensive looking pair of sunglasses so you couldn’t quite make out what expression he was making, but just seconds later you found out why he was laughing.

“Oh, I’m sorry you’re mistaken,” He started, reaching out and taking your hand after a moment. “Armitage couldn’t make it. I’m Mr. Solo, the man you’ll be shopping for.” He said, and instantly you felt your stomach turn to a dark pit. It hit you that you hadn’t done any googling of what the man looked like, and you had just made yourself out to look like an idiot in front of the man you were trying to work for. You hoped your cheeks weren’t turning as red as they felt; instead you shook his hand as confidently could.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” You said with a giggle. “Mr. Solo, it’s so great to meet you finally.” You said, to which he nodded his head. 

“You as well,” He said as he dropped your hand, holding his other one out to a car that was parked right there on the curb next to you. “The cafe is right around the corner, shall we?” 

“Of course!” You said. The man had seemed to take your mistake well, which is all you could ask for. Having already messed up you knew you had to be on your toes for the rest of your interview. You wanted nothing more than to earn this position, and you were willing to do anything to get it. You walked by his side up to the black sedan, and he held the passenger side door open for you. Once you got in this car, there was no going back. You had to be the best candidate you could be, and you would do it no questions asked. As you buckled yourself up Mr. Solo sat himself down in the driver’s side next to you, turned the car on and, without another word, began to pull the car away. You could do this. You would become his next personal shopper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't used the whole 'y/n' thing in forever, but I couldn't really avoid it here lol.  
> Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

Although quiet at first, Mr. Solo still seemed to be cordial and kind. He didn’t seem to care that you had mistaken him for his agent, but in your defense you didn’t know what Hux looked like. The thought made you feel a bit better, but when you remembered that you had done next to no research on Mr. Ren you felt just as bad. You looked at him through your peripheral vision, trying to figure out if he was judging you or not, or if he had already decided not to hire you. The celebrity industry was so cut throat, so difficult to get into, that by the time you were sitting in the car next to Mr. Ren, you were nearly desperate to be accepted for the position. He, however, looked forward on the road the entire time, not saying anything until he had pulled out of the hotel parking lot.

“Did you have an easy time getting into the city?” He asked. You looked ahead again, at the colorful cars that whizzed by on the main road. The fact that he was being so calm and trying to kick up a conversation put you at ease.

“Yeah, it was alright.” You responded. He didn’t say anything at first and the atmosphere grew awkward yet again. It made you grateful to know that the cafe was only four minutes away, because you didn’t think you could stand being in a car in the quiet like this with a stranger.

“Where did you say you come from again?” He asked seemingly out of the blue.

“Franklin,” You said back to him as he began to slow at a yellow light. “Just outside of Nashville.”

“Not too far away, then,” He retorted. As the car came to a stop he ran his hand up his arm and you couldn’t help but to stare. His hand spread over his Rolex watch and encompassed it to the point where you couldn’t see it. His arms were so thick and muscular, and his hands were just as massive. Not to mention that once he placed his hand back on the wheel you got to see the sparkly diamond that was mounted at the 12 position on his watch. It must have cost a fortune. “What is it, like five, six hours?” 

“Yeah, just about five.” You affirmed him as the light once again flashed green. You noticed lights seemed to last a lot shorter here in Atlanta than they did back at home. He nodded his head at you uninterestedly, and you turned back to the road. To your right you could see the welcome sign for the diner, and you were instantly relieved. At least in the next few moments the small talk would disappear and you would get down to the actual interview. You sat quietly as he pulled the car into the parking lot, parked at a spot that was just feet away from the front door. You had just unbuckled yourself when he quietly spoke up beside you:

“I’ll get the door for you.” He said, and your cheeks began to warm into a most embarrassing blush. You couldn’t even remember the last time someone had been so courteous to you, and this man was a complete stranger. Your eyes were glued to him as he walked so nonchalantly around his car, up to your door and opened it for you. He looked up above the roof of his car as if he wasn’t interested in you or how carefully you were making your way out of his car. Your dress was on the shorter side, so you held your knees tightly together as you stood to your full height.

“Thanks.” You said to him quietly.

“Let’s head on in, then.” He said back to you. You followed him up the curb and to the building, and you smiled at him once again as he held the glass door open for you. Once you entered the diner it felt as if you had entered an entirely new world.

The diner was incredibly dark, with bright neon lights that lit up most of the small space. Along the walls under the booths were wall mounted lights, and along one side of the wall were mounted mirrors. A short set of stairs opened up to an even bigger dining room on the lower level with full sized tables, and the section was, again, mostly illuminated by the bright red and blue lights that hung on the ceiling. Neon signs flashed on the wall high above the seats, advertising omelettes and steaks, reflecting bright blue light from in the mirrors across from them. Not only this, but a large portion of the diner was occupied by a long bar. The atmosphere was very casual; you could hardly believe that this was the place selected for your interview.

“Welcome to the Metro Cafe Diner!” Said a rather chipper woman that greeted you at the door.

“We’ll take a booth, please.” Mr. Ren said, removing his sunglasses and tucking them into his shirt pocket. His face was held in a tight scowl as he looked around at the near empty diner, his eyebrows pointed downward and his lips slightly pursed.

“Absolutely,” The woman said as she retrieved two long plastic menus from the hostess podium. “You can follow me.” She flashed a smile over shoulder at the two of you, walking to the right down a row between a set of booths and a set of tables and chairs. Mr. Ren followed closest behind her, and then you behind him until she reached a booth all the way down at the end of the row. Kylo took the booth closest to the wall while you sat at the other end, and as you were getting comfortable the hostess assured you someone would be with you shortly. After watching her walk back to where she came from you looked back to Mr. Ren who had plucked the drink menu from the small metal stand at the end of the table closest to the wall.

“Hungry?” He asked, still scowling just as he had when the two of you walked over here. You were a bit peckish, and you planned on finding the nearest McDonalds once the interview was over to grab something for lunch. Besides, this was meant to be an interview; you couldn’t imagine eating actual food over an interview.

“No, I think I’ll just have a water.” You admitted, to which he finally picked his eyes up and looked at you. He chuckled, a half smile breaking over his face before he looked back down at the menu. 

“I’m the one that’s driving and has to stay sober. Please, order whatever you’d like. It’s no trouble at all.” A small smile broke out over your face at his suggestion. In that case you felt like you could order whatever you wanted, and you wanted the most expensive steak on the menu but that seemed a little unprofessional. Instead you picked up the remaining drink menu. They served alcohol and regular soft drinks, and you decided you’d have a coke. It was cheap and simple, and it would fill your stomach up enough to keep it from growling during your interview. 

“Regarding your interview,” He said, sighing and placing the menu down on the table. “Armitage was the one who had the questions written down, and he decided to head out of the city on a whim, so I’m just going to have to wing it.” He explained as he placed his long arms gently down on the table in defeat. Your lips closed shut tightly, and you did your best to keep your eyes on him. That was not what you were expecting to hear at all. 

“Oh my.” You whispered, forcing a giggle from your throat. First you were walked into a darkened diner, then you were encouraged to buy an alcoholic beverage from the man that was interviewing you, now there were no formal interview questions. This interview was going swimmingly. Before you could respond, however, your waiter walked up to your table.

“Good afternoon, guys,” She said, coming up beside you and smiling just as brightly as the hostess had. “My name is Mattie, and I’ll be your waitress today. Can I start you off with something to drink?” She asked. You thought she was gorgeous. Her all black uniform contrasted her bright blonde hair and her pale green eyes, and the best part was her silver nose ring that clung to her septum. Everything about this place gave off such a relaxed vibe, and you found yourself even more drawn to it than you were before.

“I’ll have a lemonade, sweetheart.” Mr. Ren said before looking over to you for your answer.

“Just a Coke, please.” You said, and you watched as Mattie pulled out a small notebook and began scribbling stuff down. 

“A lemonade and a Coke, got it,” She said, smiling just a bit. “Can I put any appetizers in for you, or do you know what you’d like to eat?” She asked again. You still weren’t planning on eating so you looked to Kylo only to find that he was looking at you.

“Are you sure you’re not hungry?” He asked, raising a brow at you.

“No, I’m fine, really.” You assured him. Eating during an interview was not something you wanted to do. You would do everything you could in order to make a great first impression even though the odds seemed to be stacked against you.

“Alright then,” He said with a sigh and pushing his menu toward Mattie. “Just the drinks and we’ll be set.” He took ahold of your menu as well, sliding it toward your waitress and giving her time to pick it up. Mattie walked away, assuring the two of you that she’d be right back with your drinks and you were once again left alone with Mr. Ren.

“So, tell me about yourself,” He said, looking you right into your eyes. You couldn't help but to stare back at him, at his honey brown eyes that were unlike anything you had ever seen. Again, you began to blush. He was very good looking. You simply couldn’t deny it. “I guess that’s where people start with interviews, right?” You opened your mouth to respond when Mattie returned to your table with your drinks in tow.

“One lemonade for you sir,” She said as she carefully set his pale yellow drink down in front of him. “And a Coke for you. Are you sure you don’t need any food today?” She asked again. Mr. Ren lifted his eyes to you once more, and you still shook your head.

“No thank you, dear. We won’t be long,” He said with a gratuitous smile. She smiled back at him before walking away. “You were saying?” He started, looking back at you. You were a master at this, had told several people about yourself more times in the last year than you could count. This was the easiest part; you just had to make a great impression.

“I’m a recent University of Tennessee grad, with a bachelor's degree in Public relations,” You started, stating your specialty right off the bat. You took the raise in his eyebrows as a good response, and it encouraged you to keep going. “I consider myself to be very upbeat, positive, detail oriented. I love working one-on-one with people and take every task I’m given very seriously.” You cocked you head to the side and flashed him your award winning smile to end. He picked up his glass and took a sip through the straw, nodding his head at you. That was perfect. You knew it was perfect.

“Wonderful, wonderful,” He praised with a grin. “So, I mean, it’s great that you have a background in P.R. I feel like that will make you responsible with me and my wife’s sensitive information. A basic rundown of what we’re looking for is someone to do our grocery shopping for us, as well as other odds and ends like, I don’t know. What else do people go shopping for usually?” He asked, looking around like he was trying desperately to think of something else you’d need to buy for him.

“Furniture?” You asked, to which he snapped his fingers at you and nodded his head.

“Yes. Exactly. My wife has been asking me to build her a new desk and I haven’t gotten the pieces for her yet,” He said to you. “Our old personal shopper just recently quit on us, and it makes her nervous when I go out and people recognize me as the man from  _ Boys,  _ you know?” He looked at you, begging for some kind of understanding. The sentiment was understandable, but you had your doubts. Not one single person had noticed that you walked out of a hotel and into a diner with Kylo Ren/ Ben Solo. Not one person acknowledged him at all. Sure, you thought every actor had plans to make it big one day, and perhaps he was hiring a personal shopper just to prepare for that day, but you weren’t about to question it. Clearly the T.V. show  _ Boys  _ paid well, and you wanted this job so badly.

“I understand, Mr. Solo,” You said before picking up your drink and taking a sip. “My number one priority would always be to preserve your privacy, and if it ever came down to it I am an expert on making you look good to the public.” You said with a little giggle. The latter part of your promise was a joke, but he didn’t seem to take it as such.

“Please, you can just call me Kylo,” He spoke, shrugging you off as if he wanted you to be less informal. “Preserving my privacy is my number one concern. As long as you can commit to that I think you would make an excellent candidate for the position.” You swirled the ice around in your drink as you smiled from across the table at him. That felt good. Everything was going great so far. 

“Oh, well I’m glad to hear!” You said, starting to feel excited. Perhaps Hux not showing up with all the questions was, indeed, a good thing.

“Do you have any questions you’d like me to answer?” He asked, downing the rest of his lemonade shortly after. You shrugged your shoulders, shook your head shortly after. That had been the shortest interview ever, but at the same time your best interview ever. 

“Mr. Hux had talked to me on the phone about pay and benefits and such, and I can honestly say I’d love to be a part of your team.” You said, and he looked to be incredibly relieved.

“Oh good he told you about the pay already,” Kylo said as he pulled out his phone from his pants pocket. “He texted me to remind you, here. Ten an hour but he told you we’re going to provide you free housing and utilities, right?”

“Right. He told me that.” It was the part of the job that excited you the most. You could save money for your next living space while you worked for Kylo, and you’d do so while being thankful all of the time for his generosity.

“Yeah. We wanted to keep our last personal shopper close to home, that way if we needed something in the middle of the night he wasn’t too far away and wouldn’t need to go far either. Right around our home is basically everything we need. It’s the least we can do, really.” Again, you were thankful. It was extremely thoughtful and generous of him, and it was the main reason why you were fighting so hard to get in on this job. A few more details were exchanged, a few more questions asked and answered before both of you had finished your drinks and Kylo had once again placed all of his attention back on you.

“So, like I’ve said I think you are an excellent candidate for the job. I feel like my wife would really like you, and Armitage has told me he enjoyed talking to you as well,” He started to say, and in response your heartbeat began to accelerate. Was he really about to hire you here on the spot? You leaned forward he opened his wallet and left his card down on the table for Mattie to pick up, eager to hear what he had to say. “Would you like to come back to the apartments to see where you’d be living? I wouldn’t expect you to make the decision without seeing it. It’s only ten minutes away or so.” He offered, smiling at Mattie as she walked by and grabbed the card from him. Your emotions soared as you realized that you had excelled in your interview, so much so that he wanted to show you where you’d be living. He must have trusted you a lot, and you still had hope that he was planning on hiring you.

Just as you walked in, you followed closely behind him out of the diner and back up to his car. Both times he was a gentleman and held the door open for you, and before you knew it he was backing his car out from the spot and accelerating back down Peachtree Street. You had to admit it was nice being in the city, especially when your spirits were so high. 

“We live in the Midtown apartments, over here on 11th street,” He broke the silence, drawing your attention away from a small building on your left. Hung in the window were bright red neon lights that advertised the  _ Laughing Skull Lounge,  _ accompanied by a crazed looking skull with red and black swirls for eyes. “It’s expensive as ever, but it’s a nice community so we don’t mind.”

“Well, that’s good to know.” You said, smiling and looking back out the window. You realized a little too late that entering a car with a stranger and going to his apartment complex was a pretty bad idea. But, there was no turning back now. Besides, your parents knew exactly where you were going and where you were staying. You pushed the thought to the back of your mind. You would be absolutely fine; you were sure of it. 

The MAA Midtown apartment building was a highrise, with a garage just as big to accompany it. Just as he pulled up he fished out his wallet and pulled out a plastic card, pressed it against a small magnetic box that was mounted outside of the opening of the garage.

“ _ Welcome home, Mr. Solo.”  _ It responded in a most strange seductive robotic voice. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Kylo moaned. You watched as the large metal gate began to lift, and once it had stopped Kylo pulled his car through it. “We’ll have to set you up with your own key card, if we decide to hire you.”He said sort of offhandedly. The space around you went dark as he drove deeper into the garage, taking an immediate right and ascending a ramp. Most of the cars that you past were high end: Cadillacs, Bentleys, Mercedes, and the like. You were, to say the very least, star struck. A television actor really put you in and picked you up from a luxury hotel, and now he was driving you into his luxury apartment building and passing up so many luxury cars. When you looked at it like that, you really were excited.

Kylo lived on the 6th floor of the apartment building and, lucky for both you and him, there was a spot right in front of the door that led to the main building. As he turned the car off he once again told you he’d get the door for you, then acted on his word. He smiled at you as you stood up and out of the car, then looked back at it as he scanned his keycard next to the door and held it open for you. “The walk to my home is kinda long, I hope you don’t mind it too much.” He said. You caught on to the fact that he forgot to mention the detail about if you were hired, which gave you a lot of hope. The thought of having a rent free apartment was becoming clearer and clearer to you with every step.

“I’m sure it won’t be too bad!” You said as you entered into the stone opening. It was a stairwell, with a door straight ahead that had been propped open.

“It’s not when these people remember to close the doors behind them,” He mumbled, kicking the door closed and removing his sunglasses. “It’s a security thing. The doors always have to remain closed.” You didn’t say anything in response because you were simply shell shocked.

The place he had brought you to looked like a hotel. Arguably, it was even fancier than the hotel you were currently staying in. The reds and whites of the massively detailed ornate carpet below you were mesmerizing, and the offwhite color of the wallpaper, coupled by the mahogany accents along the footboard of the wall made you feel like you were walking through a palace. The entire place was well lit and gave off nothing short of an expensive vibe, and you felt like you’d be completely out of place living here.

He hadn’t been kidding when he told you the walk was long. You must have passed at least ten other apartment building doors and turned down five halls before Kylo stopped at a dead end. Two doors pointed toward each other from each side of the hall, and the doors were labeled 603 and 604 respectively. 

“Here we are,” Kylo said as he fished through his pocket and pulled out a set of keys. “This one would be yours. It’s a one bedroom with plenty of room for you to grow into.” He stuck the key into the lock and pushed it open, and when it opened you were greeted by the most beautiful living space you had ever seen.

The floor was made up of light brown, polished wooden planks, and the walls were a creamy white color with even lighter brown accents along the door frames and skirtboard. The first thing that greeted you was a skinny door with slats, which you assumed to be the closet. Right next to it was a door that was all the way open, showcasing a room with light carpeted floors and the same cream colored walls that were in the main area. Leaning a little bit forward, you could see a queen sized bed pushed up against the west wall, dressed beautifully in all white sheets. Beside it was a window that ran from floor to ceiling, starting at one end of the wall and ending at the next. It was beautiful, and when you leaned the rest of the way back and took a look at the rest of the apartment, you were just as blown away. The window seemed to run from the bedroom to the living area, with the majority of the wall being taken up by that window. The kitchen was openly attached to this area as well, topped with stainless steel appliances and marble counters. And it was, indeed, furnished. All of the necessities were there: A small black table against a short protruding wall and three chairs on each side, a black leather couch and loveseat sat in front of an all glass coffee table, which sat in front of a large LCD TV mounted to the wall. There were also small accents around as well, like decorative tables and pieces of art that hung on the wall. It was such a beautiful living space, and you could only be drawn from your awe when Kylo placed a hand upon your shoulder blades.

“What do you think?” He asked you, and you found yourself stumbling away from him. You weren’t expecting him to touch you, and it startled you completely. However, you wouldn’t let his question go unanswered.

“I, I love it,” You said, smiling and craning your neck over your shoulder to look at the room again. This time you noticed a silver door next to the glass window in the living room, one that led to a balcony. “I would absolutely love to live here!” Kylo smiled at you, nodded his head before stepping outside of the door. You followed him, thinking he rented this apartment and if he was not here then you shouldn’t be either. It hurt you to leave, but what he said next would change your mood drastically.

“So when are you available to start?” He asked, cocking his head to the side.

“S-start?” You babbled, feeling the blood fall from your face. “What do you mean?” You asked him. Of course you knew what he meant. He wanted to hire you right here standing in the hallway of his apartment building, but it didn’t register to you that’s what he meant to do. Only during your retail days of working at department stores in malls did you ever get hired on the spot, when your employers were desperate for employees. But here you were, about to accept your first job in your field on the day of your interview. You were so stoked.

Kylo opened his mouth again, likely to explain to you that he wanted you to be his personal shopper, but he was cut off by someone shouting at him from down the hall. Both of you looked up and saw a slender man with bright red hair walking toward you with his arms full of plastic bags.

“Ah, Armitage!” He called out cheerfully. He turned from you to him, and as the man, now known as Armitage Hux, got close enough he smiled at you. “I was just showing our personal shopping candidate around.” Kylo said to him, his voice full of glee. Armitage, breathing deeply and looking quite out of breath grinned at you, greeted you by your full name and you nodded in response.

“A pleasure to meet you in person. Sorry I couldn’t make it for your interview, but it sounds like it’s gone quite well.” He placed the bags down on the ground next to him and reached for your hand, which you gladly accepted and shook with no questions.

“It’s alright, really,” You said. “I think Mr. Solo and I got along well.”

“Kylo. You may call me Kylo, my dear,” He corrected you, then turned back to Hux. “I was just telling her here that I’m interested in hiring her on.” Suddenly Hux’s face dropped from that of delight to worry. He flashed another look at you before looking back at Kylo, and you came to the conclusion that you knew it was just too good to be true.

“Are you sure about that, Ben? I mean, there are other--” He tried to talk some sense into him, but Kylo quickly cut him off. 

“No one else has applied, have they?” He asked, to which Armitage went quiet and shook his head. “She seems perfectly capable of the job, has a background in P.R. and everything.” Standing next to Kylo as if he were your older sibling defending you on the playground from a bully, you beamed up at Hux who looked down at you nervously. A shy grin broke out over his face along with a quiet giggle, and he reached down to retrieve his bags yet again.

“Alright, then,” He said as his smile became more genuine with each passing second. “I suppose you have a point. Welcome to the team, my dear.” Hux nodded his head and your heart soared at the acceptance he gave you.

“We just need to hear it from her first. What do you say, kid?” Kylo asked as he turned toward you again. All eyes were on you as you happily gave your answer; an answer that you were not at all prepared to be giving today of all days.

“I’d say yes, I’d like to work for you.” You flashed the brightest smile you could at the two men, and they smiled right back at you.

“Then it’s settled,” Kylo started, adjusting his shirt and turning his head toward Hux. “Draft up the paper work she’ll need while I see to it that she makes it back to her hotel safely.” He turned and began to walk down the hall and you followed closely after him. “I’ll have you meet Hannah on your first day. She’s gone down to the gym and would like a proper introduction.” He said to you, but it didn’t matter. You had a job in your field, and it was arguably among the best jobs you’d ever have. You were excited, no matter when you’d get to meet his wife.


	4. Chapter 4

The entire time Kylo drove you back to the hotel, the entire way back up to your floor, and the entire way back to your room, you let a huge smile take up space on your face. Your first job in the celebrity industry. No, it wasn’t PR but at least your foot would be in the door. Kylo pulled out front of the hotel and waved you off, and you said your goodbyes with a delighted smile. He promised you again that he'd be in touch shortly, then you watched as he drove off amongst the other cars in the hotel parking lot. Once alone, you thanked him in your head once more, then gleefully turned to walk into the lobby. The journey up to your room was the same, but you couldn't help but to feel overwhelmingly positive the entire way there. You let yourself into your room, scurried over to the bed and flopped down onto your back. That interview, although rocky at first, went much better than you expected, and you intended to celebrate as soon as you could. Once the shock had worn off and you felt calm enough to move again, you stripped yourself of your uncomfortable dress and threw on your casual outfit that you wore coming into Atlanta. By now the lobby had calmed down some, and you decided you deserved a small drink at the bar. 

You made your way back downstairs, sat confidently at the bar and ordered a margarita. You smiled as you made small talk with other bar goers, telling them about your victories and laughing along with them as one man openly flirted with you. You were at a hotel bar all by yourself and you should have expected it, and even though you were feeling frisky you decided to turn him down when he offered to take you to his hotel room for some more celebrating. You had to rest up for your drive back to Franklin tomorrow, and you had to let your family know the good news.

After taking a walk to a local Philly Cheesesteak shack and grabbing an early dinner, you made your way back to the hotel where you showered, changed into your pajamas and hunkered down into bed. With reruns of  _ Doctor Who  _ playing in the background you dialed your mom. The two of you had been texting each other all day long, and you had been purposely vague about the status of your interview. She was dying to know and you were finally ready to tell her. You twisted the silky soft bed comforter in your hand as you anxiously waited for your mom to pick up. It was only nine pm here, which meant it was 8 pm back at home and you knew your parents would still be awake. It rang and rang, and when your mom finally answered you wiggled your entire body in excitement.

“Baby?” She started the conversation. She sounded nervous, which she had every right to be. You had left her hanging so many times today and you were ready to deliver her the good news.

“Mom?” You asked, sounding scared as an act all while pulling the phone away from your face to snicker. 

“What’s wrong? What’s the status of the job?” You could hear the panic and confusion in her voice. Biting your lower lip, you smiled at her worry. It was all a harmless joke so you felt no guilt in edging her on. However, after a few seconds you simply could not hide it any longer.

“Nothing’s wrong, mom,” You said as you began to glow with pride. You allowed the silence to linger just a little while longer for the suspense, then you finally unleashed your excitement. “I was hired on the spot!” You leaned back and threw your free arm in the air, nearly screaming as you filled your mom in on the exrodinary news. On the other end of the line it sounded like she was doing the same thing.

“Oh my, really?!” She shouted, and as if she could see you you nodded your head at her. You heard as she shouted for your dad and exclaimed the joyous news, and you could hear your dad say he was proud of you in the background. “My baby got a job in her field! Oh, we’re so proud of you!” She said, parroting your father. It was then that the first of your tears slipped down your cheeks. Your parents were  _ proud  _ of you. You were  _ proud  _ of you. You deserved this small moment of joy, this moment of celebration. You deserved to be proud of your accomplishments.

“Th-Thanks mom,” Your voice cracked as your emotions ran wild. This was such a huge step in the right direction for you, and after having no hope for a year after graduation this opportunity was next to perfect. “He’s so nice, Kylo is. I met his agent too. They liked me so much and said no one else had applied, so they wanted me!” You wiped the tears from your eyes as your mom went on, asking you a bunch of questions faster than you could answer them. Yes, you had discussed pay. Yes, you got to see where you would be living. Yes, you were 100 percent certain you wanted the job. Your mother was just simply so happy for you. She let out another squeal before continuing the giddy conversation.

“We’ll cook you your favorite meal, Clo,” She exclaimed. “We have the eggs, the flour, I’ll just have to run to the store to get the spinach!” In the background you could hear her rummaging through the cupboards and fridge, likely checking to see that she had enough supplies to make your favorite meal: homemade spinach and ricotta ravioli. It was always such a comfort food while you were growing up and watching your mom make the pasta from start to finish was always great. Once you were around six or seven your mom would put you in charge of mixing up the egg and flour to start the process, then you’d mix up the ricotta, parmesan, and spinach for her to fill. It was a labor of love, and it was always the kind of thing your mom would make when you needed love. Your heart grew as you assured your mom you’d be home by the afternoon tomorrow, and you were excited to have your favorite meal. 

“Get some rest, my lucky charm. I’m so proud of you. Your dad says have a good night and text us when you’re on your way out, okay?” Your mom asked.

“Will do, mama. Thanks.” You responded quietly. The two of you did your obligatory I love yous, and then you were left alone in your room again. Staring down at your lock screen which was a picture of you and your friend on the day you graduated, you did nothing but smile. Your life seemed so perfect at the moment, and it seemed like there wouldn’t be anything that would bring you down. After a few more episodes of Doctor Who, you decided to call it a night. You needed to check out early tomorrow and rest up for the drive back home. You cuddled down under the blankets and closed your eyes, allowing sleep to take over your senses. Your final thought was about how you’d have to make moving arrangements starting tomorrow, and you were excited for the next step into your newest adventure.

The next morning at 10:30 AM you were all packed up and ready to head back home. You stood in the same line to check out as you did to check in, and to your amazement it was just as long as it was the previous day. The Hilton was obviously a popular place, which was something you weren’t too fond of. You couldn’t wait to get into your car and be by yourself for a few hours before going home to your parents and your favorite meal. So you stood and waited. You watched people pass, watched people board and exit the elevators, watched the employees sift through paperwork at the desk. People watching was always such a great pasttime, and as you inched closer to the front you felt your phone vibrating in the back of your pants. You let go of your luggage in order to fish it out, expecting it to be your mother or a friend that had seen your celebratory status on Facebook this morning, but it was the same 404 number that had called you for your interview. It took you a moment, but you finally remembered that this was Mr. Hux’s number. A pang of dread coursed through your body as you wondered why he was calling you. Perhaps to let you know you were no longer needed? You furrowed your brows and prepared for the worst, sliding the green circle to the other side of your phone and lifting it to your ear.

“Hello?” You spoke into the receiver, only to be bombarded by an overly excited response.

“Hi darling! It’s Armitage how are you?” Mr. Hux’s British accent came wheezing through the receiver just as the man in front of you stepped forward a few feet. It had taken you by surprise, but you were still happy to speak with him if it meant you'd keep the job you had worked so hard to get. 

“I’m doing alright,” You said with a giggle. He seemed chipper enough that you came to the conclusion that you weren’t getting let go. A smile bled over your face as your mind quickly ran through the many possibilities as to why he was calling. Maybe Kylo had decided to upgrade you to his PR person instead.

“Good, good. Have you checked out of the Hilton yet?” He asked. You took a look at the line in front of you. No, you hadn’t, and you probably wouldn’t for at least another half hour.

“I’m in line to check out now. Why, did you need some kind of confirmation number?” You asked him.

“No, not at all,” He said with a chuckle. “Ben’s just shot me a text telling me to remind you that he does still want to hire you on as his personal shopper, and that he’d like you to fill out the paper work he needs sooner rather than later.” He spoke rather quickly. His words lingered in the air for a moment before one of the dek people shouting ‘next’ caused you to look up and see there was another sizable gap between you and the next person. The process was going so quick you were beginning to question whether or not it was legitimate or an actual cult scheme like your mother had warned you.

“Oh, oh!” You said, trying to buy time to make up your mind. “Paperwork, yes, of course.” Before you could continue, Mr. Hux cut you off.

“He was wondering if you could stop back by his home to fill it out with me, before you drive back home. There we can work out a few more of the kinks you might have encountered during your interview,” He cleared his throat after pausing for a moment, and you could hear him fumble around with something in the background. “He’s also offered to have you over for dinner. You know, to meet his wife and maybe begin to settle into your new space.” You blinked as a shy smile broke over your face. Having you over for dinner. That sounded splendid if you weren’t already planning on having dinner with your parents.

“Aw, well that sounds lovely,” You said as your cheeks began to blush. Your previous thoughts of them not being genuine flew right out the window. At least they were offering to compensate you for the extra time you’d be spending with them. “Um, do you know what time they’d be serving dinner? It’s just, I told my mom I’d be home this evening, and with the time change and such I wanna make sure I’m there at a reasonable time.” You absentmindedly played with the button that moved the handle on your suitcase up and down, nervous that he was giving you an ultimatum. 

“However early or late you want. Ben’s open to any time.” He said, and you became incredibly relieved. 

“Perfect!” You said confidently. “I’ll take him up on his offer then. Let me just check out and get to my car to tell my mom.” 

“Absolutely. Just give me a call when you’re outside of the garage and I’ll come out and let you in, okay?” He offered, to which you agreed. Dinner with your new employers sounded like a great way to properly introduce who you really were, and you were certain your parents would understand. You moved with the line forward another few feet, confirming the details with Mr. Hux before hanging up and smiling to yourself. Your day was already off to a great start.

It was just after 12:30 when you parallel parked yourself outside of the garage that Kylo had driven you to the previous day. You called Mr. Hux to let him know you were there, then checked your phone just in time to see that your mother had sent you a sweet text acknowledging your decision about staying in Atlanta for dinner:

_ Do what you need to do, Clo. Whenever you’re ready to come back home, I promise I’ll have a plate of ravioli ready for you! _

You began to type your typical gratuitous ‘I love you’ message when there was a knock on your passenger side window. You looked up and saw the handsome face of Mr. Hux smiling gently at you, and when he gave you a small, dorky wave you went to unlock your doors. He ducked into your small car and greeted you with a yet another chipper hello, and likewise you greeted him excitedly. 

“Mrs. Hannah is cooking us some great food since you said you needed to leave early,” He said as he gestured to the garage door. “She says she’ll probably be done by two or three o’clock if that’s alright.” After checking to make sure the road was clear you pulled your car away from the curb and made a sharp right into the garage entrance. Hux handed you the thick plastic card and you began to roll down your window. “Did Ben show you how to use it?” He asked, but by then the small box had already beeped and was welcoming  _ Mr. Solo  _ in.

“Sorry. I don’t live here. Ben’s just had to make me a second garage card for when I have to be up here. When you move in you’ll get your own to say whatever you want.” He explained. Once the gate had been lifted and you were pulling your car up the ramp to the 6th floor you had handed the card back to him.

“So that box will say ‘welcome home Clover?’” You asked him. It really wasn’t a big deal, but it was the name you preferred.

“Clover? Is that what you want to be called?” He asked, sounding surprised.

“It’s a long story, but I have a birthmark that looks like a four leaf clover. My parents and friends have been calling me that my entire life.” You explained. In response he let out an intrigued hum.

“Well isn’t that adorable,” He said with a chuckle. You had just turned onto the third floor and still had three more to go. Beside you, you could almost feel Hux eyeing your side. If you had to guess, he was probably wondering where your birthmark was and what it looked like. That was okay; it was to be expected. “I’m sure the complex won’t mind coding it to say whatever you want.” He assured you, and you were thankful. It was exciting to think that you’d be hearing  _ welcome home Clover, _ and that this would be your home. It only made dinner time even more exciting.

When you finally reached the 6th floor you parked away from all the other cars, got out, and quickly followed Mr. Hux to the same door Kylo had led you to. It was amusing to see how different the two men were. Kylo was so cordial while still retaining a relaxed way of speaking, but it seemed like Mr. Hux was just a laid back, candid and calm person over all. He was gracious, always had a smile, and was kinda goofy. Throughout all of this, they were still great friends, and you could only hope you would become a great asset to them and their friendship.

Even though you had just walked these halls with Kylo yesterday you clung to Hux as he led you back to Kylo's home. “I didn’t run an errand for them today, so Han didn’t give me her key,” He said, knocking three times on the burgundy door. “So we have to knock the normal way today.” You smiled at him, wondered if, as the Solo's personal shopper, you’d have a key to his home as well. Food for thought, for another time of course. Would they really trust you enough with access to their home?

It took no time before the door was opening, and you were looking up at the happy face of Kylo Ren. His pleasant smile showed off a set of white, slightly imperfect teeth, and a low grumble of a chuckle greeted you before his words.

“Welcome, welcome,” He said with a nod of his head. He stepped to the side and held his arm up to the inside of his home. “Come on in, make yourself at home.” He urged, and you contentedly complied. Mr. Hux wasn’t too far behind you as you stepped into Ren’s home, and you had to think that behind you the two men were observing your reaction to the Solo's space. You shoudn’t have been surprised to see how fancy it was since the home you’d be staying in was just as beautiful, but it still swept you off your feet. 

The layout was similar to yours, but his seemed bigger. Even with the extra furniture and decorations it was so spacious, especially when you made it to the couch in the center of the living room and saw that they had a much bigger and nicer kitchen. It was like it was built for serving guests; long marble countertops, a beautiful stainless steel stove, fridge, and dishwasher, an island with two sinks, and large lights that hung low to keep the food warm. It was amazing, and what was even more amazing was the woman that rounded the corner out of the kitchen into the living room.

She was like the female version of Kylo. Tall, with long black hair, perfectly defined facial features, and beautiful sea green eyes. She wore a navy blue dress that hugged her in all the right places and light blue fuzzy socks, and kept her hair pinned back with a light blue metal hair clip. She smiled lightly at you, drying her hands with a towel before clasping them at her curvaceous hips. If there ever was a well matched husband and wife pair, it would definitely be Ben and Hannah Solo.

Mr. Hux stepped up beside you as Kylo placed his hand on your back and pushed you toward his wife. “Hannah, this is our new personal shopper,” He said, proudly showing you off as if you were an award he won. You nodded your head and addressed her as Mrs. Solo, then held your hand out to shake hers. 

“She goes by Clover, by the way.” Hux cut in a with a chuckle. He stared amusingly at the Solos and they both looked back at you.

“Clover?” Kylo asked while Hannah still remained completely silent. 

“Yeah, I was telling Mr. Hux about it on our way through the garage,” You explained, and Kylo lifted his eyebrows clearly intrigued. “I have a birthmark on my hip that looks like a four leaf clover. My parents and all of my friends have called me that or Clo all my life.” You smiled cordially at Kylo, then looked over at Hannah who looked to be blushing under all of her perfectly done up make up. Clearly everyone was just as amused as Hux was, and you felt like you fit in well with this group of people.

“Well, maybe one day you can show us a picture,” Kylo said, shuffling over to the couch. “Han has, what, about another hour or two left until dinner?” Kylo asked before turning around and addressing his wife.

“Three,” She said, clearing her throat and looking to the floor. “But, close. Short three. Maybe two and 45 minutes.” Kylo smiled awkwardly at her before turning back to you.

“Yeah, so feel free to chill out on the couch, or we can let you into your home so you can be alone if you want.” He offered kindly, but you were already so comfortable here you didn’t want to leave. _Your home._ You were so excited to be able to call the apartment next door your home. 

“Clover can stay here and watch me beat you in Mario Kart, like I always do.” Hux said as he plopped himself down on the couch and picked up a set of neon yellow Joycon controllers that had been sitting on the arm of his sofa. You had missed it, and you felt stupid because when you looked at the entertainment center that was pushed up against the wall you saw that the Solos not only had a bigger TV than you, but they had every single console that had come out displayed. It was like your dream come true, and you sat yourself at the very end next to Kylo as Hux booted up the Nintendo Switch. Behind you Hannah went back to cooking, and within the next hour their home was filled with the most savory of scents. This was perfect, and you could see yourself becoming close friends with them in the end. This was only day one of your time with the Solos and Hux, and you couldn't wait to see what the future held for you and your employers. 


	5. Chapter 5

That night Hannah Solo served you pot roast, steamed carrots, freshly cooked kale, bread rolls with butter, and for dessert a homemade apple pie. Starting from your position, you sat next to Hannah, who sat next to Kylo, who sat next to Hux, who sat next to you. Everyone was all smiles, all laughs, and the entire scene was just relaxing in general. You had watched the two men go at each other playfully while playing Mario Kart, and now you sat laughing about politics with your new employers with a pleasantly full belly. This was a wonderful scene, and Kylo asking you about work right afterword didn’t even pull away from the awesome time you were currently having.

“So, Clover, did our family scare you away from the job?” Kylo asked as he used a napkin to dap some apple filling from the corner of his lip. Everyone looked at you, eagerly awaiting your answer.

“No, although I was worried there about Hux when he started messing around about the president being the best ever,” You said, cutting your eyes across the table at him. Hux rolled his eyes at you playfully, and from the other side of you you could hear a quiet giggle Hannah let out under her breath.

“Did you actually think I was serious, love?” Hux asked you.

“In this day and age, anything is possible,” You said firmly. Politics had never been a huge issue to you, but the fact that Kylo had walked you into the conversation, so blatantly calling the current president a clown made you realize that you were with the right people.

“Hux plays too much,” Hannah said, standing and taking your plates out from under you. “So silly. Silly, silly.” You smiled at her, thanked her for taking your plate. 

“Did Ben’s political banter dissuade you from taking the job then?” Hux asked, throwing Kylo under the bus after having all of the attention on him.

“No, not at all,” You said politely smiling at Kylo. “In fact, I’m even more excited to work for you guys after seeing how laid back you are.” It was true. You thought that some actors were stuck up, demanding and completely out of your league. But not the Solos. They were down to Earth. A normal, happy family. You were happy to make these people your first employers, and you couldn’t wait to have your first day at work.

“Laid back is Ben’s middle name,” Hux said, leaning back and stretching his arms over his head. He had eaten more food than you, and you could imagine his stomach was incredibly full. He even mentions he couldn’t get enough of Mrs. Solo’s cooking, so he stuffed himself to the top. “And I’m glad to hear you’re still on board. Ben, why don’t I go get the new hire paperwork printed so Clo here can fill it out and be on her way home?” Hux offered, standing from the table and running his hand through his red hair.

“Good idea. I’ll help Han get everything cleaned up around here,” Kylo said. You thought it was sweet that he was helping his wife clean up. All of your life you could count on one hand how many times you ever saw your father help your mother cleaning up. He must have been an incredibly attentive partner. “Clo, you can head back into the living room and play more Mario if you’d like,” He said as he stood and began to walk past you. You were just about to take him up on his offer when he suddenly stopped and placed his hand on your shoulder. He looked down at you with a heavy look of concern, one that made you quite uncomfortable. “Is it okay if I call you that?” He asked you. You had to hold back the urge to laugh, because there was no doubt you preferred him call you Clo over your birth name any day of the week. 

“Of course, of course. Clo or Clover will keep me happy,” You said, and the relieved look on his face released the giggle you had been holding back. 

“Okay, good. Have a seat in the living room. Armitage will be back with your paperwork shortly,” Kylo said. With that, both men parted ways. Hux headed down the hall and Kylo headed into the kitchen with his wife. You stood shortly after them, and before you started on the short walk to the living room you caught sight of Kylo wrapping his arms around his wife’s midsection and giving her a kiss on her exposed neck. It warmed your heart. You thought it was rare to see a couple so in love. It always seemed like some of your friends were in and out of relationships, and you couldn’t think of one couple other than your parents that had a happy, healthy relationship. Walking around the corner and into the living room, you internally added another reason to your growing list to love your job.

Instead of playing Mario, you opted to pull out your phone and text your mother to tell her you’d be home soon. It was now 5 PM, and you knew the traffic would be bad but you couldn’t wait to get on the road back home. There was so much you wanted to tell your parents, so much joy you wanted to share, and the sooner you got home the better. You could hear the pots, pans, plates, and silverware banging around being washed, could hear Hannah giggling as you assumed Kylo had been flirting with her, and all was well in your world. Even better was it didn’t take long for Hux to come wandering around the corner with a clipboard as well as a packet of paperwork for you. 

“I’m assuming you know what this is. The regular new hire stuff,” He said, flipping through the information before handing you the clipboard. “Take a minute and fill it all out. Oh, and when do you think you can start?” He asked as he fished through his breast pocket for a pen. 

“I don’t really know, I was hoping to go home and talk to my parents first,” You confessed as you took the items from him.

“Armitage, would you leave that girl alone?” Kylo called from the kitchen. You turned just in time to see Kylo ducking his head from around the corner of the kitchen and stare at Hux. “I realize how obsessed you are with getting the position filled, but let her relax. Don’t scare her off before she gets to do real work for us!” Again, you heard Hannah laugh and Hux’s face began to blush. 

“Alright, alright, no problem,” He said, verbally throwing his hands in the air. “You can call me, or text me when you work out a date with your folks. Just keep it within the next month. Say, by the 10th of November. That sound good?” He asked you, and it sounded perfect.

“Yeah, that should give me enough time for sure,” You said, and when he finally walked away, leaving you with the offer to call for him for help, you got to work on the paperwork in your lap.

While you went to filling out all of the mundane details about yourself you couldn’t help but to listen to the conversation the Solos were having about their plans for Halloween. They debated on whether or not to actually hand out candy or to leave a bowl on the doorstep. Apparently Hannah hadn’t been feeling well recently and didn’t think she’d be up to handing out candy at all, but Kylo was perfectly fine with that. She had even been happy to hear that he had been invited by some of his buddies up to the roof for a gathering, and she encouraged him to go even though he was still on the fence. Your eavesdropping made you glow. They seemed like the most normal couple, and you could only hope for a relationship as strong and loving as theirs one day. You sat satisfied by their conversation, how it switched from one subject to another while they got to cleaning the kitchen, and in fifteen minutes or so you were done filling out all the paperwork. For your hire date you put down the 10th of November just as Hux suggested, and with that you signed your name. It made you happy to read that it wasn’t a contract, that you would be able to leave whenever you wanted to on your own free will. It seemed like these people really were looking out for you, which is all you really could have asked for.

You stood and gingerly rounded the corner and were relieved to find that the Solos had not been wrapped up in each other's arms. Instead Hannah was rinsing dishes in the sink and Kylo was putting food up. You locked eyes with Hannah first, who quickly looked away as if she didn’t want to notice you. You had little time to think about the action before she jabbed Kylo in the ribs and pointed at you. He lifted his head from the crockpot and laid all of his attention on you.

“Oh, are you finished with that paperwork, dear?” He asked, to which you nodded. You really had nothing else to say when Hannah was being so cold toward you. As Kylo called for Armitage to collect the paperwork you wondered if she was just shy. After all, you were a stranger in her home. Armitage came walking out from a side room down the halls shortly after, and approached you rather confidently. 

“Thank you very much,” Hux said playfully. “I’ll get this all sorted and into the system, we’ll get you all set up and then we’ll see you next month, right?” He asked. It was enough to finally get both Kylo and Hannah out of the kitchen.

“Leaving so soon, Clover?” Kylo asked, and with a regrettable sigh you nodded your head.

“Gotta get to packing so I can make my big move to A.T.L.,” You said, trying your best to be relaxed during such a sad time. Your official start date was a month away, but you intended to get back out here as soon as you could. 

“It was nice having you, dear,” Hannah spoke up. When you looked over to her you could see her smiling warmly at you. Other than cooking for you, it was the nicest gesture she had given you all night. 

“We’ll call you if we need you--here why don’t I walk you out. Leave these two lovebirds here to nest together,” Hux offered, reaching over to the counter and grabbing a set of keys. 

“I would love that,” You said, turning and giving the Solos one last wave goodbye.

“Get home safely,” Kylo called out to you as Hux began walking toward the door, and without another glance you started walking after him. He held it open for you and you exited their home, and you couldn’t stop yourself from glancing at the door that would become yours as well. Number 603 in the great city of Atlanta. Even just imagining it made you incredibly excited.

“Can’t wait to move in?” Hux asked as you finally picked up your pace to keep up with him.

“Yeah, I guess. Never been on my own before,” Just saying the words made your heart flutter. You had finally made it! Had finally been able to move out of your parent's house, and it was all due to the generosity of the Solo family. Beside you Hux hummed, took a look over his shoulder at the door before turning down the hall toward many twists and turns till you got back to the garage.

“Yep. I was the same way,” He said with a sigh. “I was broke before Ben hired me on as his assistant. He housed me in that same apartment you’re in until I could get on my own two feet. I live a little ways out of the city, but I’ve been commuting here more often for him since he hasn’t had a personal shopper.” He said, and you were content with the explanation. Maybe one day you’d get off your feet and be moved up in Kylo’s circle and could be on your own too. He had given you so much hope. You followed Hux the rest of the way through the apartment building until the two of you reached the garage, and then it was truly time to say goodbye to your new employers as well as the city.

“Have you got it from here, lovely?” He asked you. His minor flirting with you made you even more comfortable with him, and you found it difficult to tell him yes.

“Yeah, I think so,” You said to him, taking a breath and looking him in the eye. “Thank you again for having me. I can’t tell you how excited I am to be working with you and the Solos.” Hux grinned at you as he pushed the heavy garage door open, and you reluctantly took a step out onto the concrete. 

“Oh, not a problem dear. Just shoot me a text when you get home to let us know you made it safely. We’ll call you if we need anything from you before your first day,” Hux said. Again, they were looking out for you and your safety, and you were ever so grateful. With another mutual goodbye, both of you turned and went your separate ways. On your way back to your car you felt like you could cry. Everything had gone so much better than you had expected, and now all you had to do was prepare to make your move to a brand new city in a brand new state. When you finally reached your car you sat down and simply stared at the view that over looked the city. There was only about a month before your official work date, and you could hardly wait. You started the car and sent a text to your mom letting her know that you were officially on your way back, and with that, your hours long journey back to Tennessee began.

Pulling into your parent’s driveway you had never been more relieved. Your legs were tingly with blood loss from sitting in the same position for nearly six hours so standing and trekking up the driveway was a challenge. The house was dark when you opened the door, and you had assumed your parents had just gone to bed. It was just after ten and your parents had always been early to go to sleep, so you weren’t too surprised. The great news and stories could wait until the morning, for now you felt like you deserved to sleep as well. Quietly you set all of your belongings down next to the door and crept up the stairs to your bedroom, then sank down onto the bed. You were tired, but still needed to change into your pajamas, but there was still one more thing you had to do before you could officially go back to bed. 

You wiggled your phone out of your back pocket and pulled up the messages app. The last person you had texted was Kylo, but he wasn’t the one who had asked you to message him. Instead you scrolled down to Hux and began typing away to him.

_ Got home safely. Thanks again for hosting me! :)  _

It was short and to the point. You worried about if they would get tired of hearing you say thank you, but you were truly thankful for the experience. After setting the phone down on your nightstand you got to work on readying yourself for bed. You slunk to the bathroom in the hallway and brushed your teeth, washed your face, used the bathroom, and then slunk back into your room. When you checked your phone you were excited to see that he had texted you back, and so soon after you had texted him:

_ Great to hear you got home safely. Have a great night! _

You held your phone to your chest and smiled. The 10th couldn’t possibly come soon enough. 


	6. Chapter 6

Over the next few days your mother and father would gush over how proud they were of you. They were so happy to hear that you gave such a thrilling interview that your employers invited you over for dinner. They were sad to see you go, but they wanted to see you off to your new apartment as quickly as possible for you to start working. You had always been thankful for your parent’s generosity, and were especially thankful when they offered to continue paying your phone bill until you knew what was going on with your finances. The great news you got continued to mount over the next few weeks; The Solos had a key made just for you for your new home. They had a key card and a parking pass made up, and Hux was sure to tell the speaker to make sure it said “welcome home, Clover.” The Solos even sent a check written for $500 so that you could do what you needed in order to move. They wanted you to have enough money for moving costs, for grocery shopping, and other odds and ends you may need upon moving into your new apartment. It was almost too exciting, and when the time finally came where you were spending the final night in your childhood bedroom, your mind was going through a wide range of emotions. 

The sadness that engulfed you mixed with fear and nervousness, as being completely on your own was such a scary feeling. Even away at college you had never been completely out from under your parent's thumb. You had confidence that you could take care of yourself on your own, but how were you supposed to fill the void that was your caring parents? There would never be anything like you and your mother’s late night scrabble games where you could get anything off of your chest to her. Nothing like her making you a piping hot bowl of chicken soup when you were sick with a cold. Nothing like getting your father’s advice about what to have auto shops fix about your car, or about what to tell your boss at work when they don’t seem to take you or your ideas seriously. Sure, you had a phone and it would be easy enough to pick it up and get the same advice from your parents, but it wouldn’t be the same. Sitting in bed staring at your alarm clock which read 3 AM, you got the urge to cry thinking about it. You rolled over, frustrated at your lack of sleep and forced your mind to focus on the more exciting details of your move.

You’d have an awesome boss living there next to you. You had three people that were on a fast track of becoming your friends waiting for you, and you had been given such a great set up to start on your own. How many other people could say that their first job in their field gave them free rent and utilities, as well as a fully furnished apartment? How many people could even say that they found a job in their field at all? With a chuckle you remembered how silly Kylo and Armitage had been sitting next to you playing Mario Kart together, how comfortable they all were around the dinner table. It was clear that you were being invited into one big family, and you were ever so grateful for them giving you a chance. You looked forward to shopping for the Solos and being their neighbor, and the thought that finally allowed you to rest was that you knew your parents would always let you come back home if something didn’t work out. You managed to fall asleep and dream of the life that you’d live in Atlanta, and when your alarm finally went off the next morning at 8 AM it was time to make that dream a reality.

You dressed in the moving clothes you had set out the night before: a ruby red shirt and black leggings and got to work on readying yourself to drive back to Atlanta. The previous night your parents had helped you load up your car with the little possessions you felt like you needed to take with you to your new apartment. All of your clothing, books, and other trinkets you felt like you’d need to take with you were all packed up, with the exception of your backpack which housed your laptop and some other important tidbits like chargers and medication you’d want as soon as you got to your new home. After slinging it over your shoulder and tiptoeing as quietly as you could downstairs, you walked into your kitchen and were shocked to find your parents awake and sitting happily at the table. When you walked into the kitchen your mother picked her head up and looked at you, and then got a sudden burst of energy and jumped from the chair over to you.

“Oh, Clo you’re finally up!” She exclaimed. It wasn’t long before your mother burst into tears, wrapped her arm around you and held you in the longest, tightest embrace ever. “Oh, my baby girl is all grown up and moving out on her own!” You wrapped your arms around her and held her close, and when you peered over her shoulder you could see your dad looking over at you and growing emotional as well. Clearly you weren’t the only one so cut up about starting this new chapter in your life, and it felt great to be so loved and appreciated. 

“Come, sit down honey. I made you some eggs and grits. You can’t travel and unpack and stuff on an empty stomach,” Your mom offered with sullen tears dripping down her cheeks. Slowly, savoring every last moment you’d have living with your parents, you moved to the table and sat down next to your dad.

“Clover,” Your dad said in his scruffy voice that hadn’t changed since you were young. “What are we going to do without you, kiddo?” 

“I don’t know, but I could ask the same about you guys too,” You said, trying to keep the emotion at bay. It didn’t last very long, because your normally so stoic father opened his arms and playfully demanded you come give him a hug. You couldn’t help but to crawl into his lap like you did when you were a child and embrace him. After all, this could very well be the last time you'd get such an opportunity.

“Daddy,” You moaned. “I’ll miss you so much, take care of mom okay?” You asked as you started to cry into his neck. 

“I will, baby. You don’t have to worry about that,” He laid a loud kiss upon your cheek just as your mom returned to the table with a plate of fried eggs and a bowl of grits. The sound of her setting them down in front of you made you turn from your father’s arms, and when you looked up you saw her holding her phone out to you. 

“Let me get one last family photo!” She exclaimed, and before you really had any time to react she was snapping a photo of you and your father. You reached up and wiped the tears from your eyes, reached out to the spoon and began to spoon some of the grits into your mouth. They were still hot, but it didn’t matter. This would be your last family meal for a while at least. You had to enjoy every second of it before hitting the road.

You continued to eat your breakfast from your father’s lap just as you had done as a child, and your mother smiled fondly at the two of you. She fawned over you, making sure you had everything you needed before heading out on this newest adventure all alone and making sure you knew that you were always welcome back home. You were so grateful that your parents were so lenient, and you had no fears as you helped your mother clean up, gathered your things and headed toward the door. Your parents followed you like shadows the entire way there.

You packed your backpack into the front seat of your car, and when you reemerged your mother gave you one last hug. You hugged her back, looked at your childhood home over her shoulder. Under the purple haze of the early morning it was mystical. You’d miss it. You’d miss your mother, and your father, and your time here at the house, but what was ahead for you was important. It was your future, and you had to let go of your past in order to live in your future. After a few more hugs, tears, and well wishes you stepped lightly over to the driver’s side door. Your parents held each other as they watched you open the door and sink in, and watched with tears as you started your car and pulled away from the sidewalk. You could see them waving to you in your rearview mirror, and even though you knew they couldn’t see you, you gave them one final wave as well. You looked forward, looked down the road and imagined how colorful and bright your future in Georgia would be. It was okay to miss your parents and your old home. But, what you wouldn’t do was let your sorrow cloud your excitement for your move to Atlanta. 

Upon switching into the Eastern time zone, the sky quickly began to switch from a bright, bold, yellow sunrise to a dull and grey cloudy landscape. The first few drops of rain dolloped onto your windshield, and just as you had crossed the border into Georgia the delicate drops turned into a downpour. You rolled your eyes as you switched your wiper blades to as quick as they could go and switched on your headlights. You had always hated the rain because it always seemed to only rain when you needed it the least. Case in point: When you’re due to move into a highrise apartment complex. Your wipers squealed and did a bad job in clearing your windshield as you slowed down to stay safe on the highway. The universe was mocking you; at least that’s what you chose to believe.

The rain could only slow you down so much, and you still made it to Atlanta at 11:10, only ten minutes later than you wanted. You pulled up to the midtown apartment building and on instinct began to pull into the garage. You managed to stop yourself just in time. You had no way into the garage because you didn't have a keycard. With a slight roll of your eyes you backed up and parallel parked next to the curb where you had parked last time. You figured it was just an automatic response to wanting to get out of the rain. Staring out at the flickering city lights that were distorted by the torrential rain, you picked up your phone and, without even thinking, began scrolling through your contacts list until you got to Hux’s name. You figured since he was the one that sorted your interview and had been texting you throughout the last week he’d be the one you’d call to let you in. The rain pattered loudly on the roof of your car as the dial tone rang in your ear, and it didn’t occur to you that Hux had told you he lived in another part of Georgia until the second he had picked up the call.

“Hello?” He asked. You furrowed your brows at this tone. He sounded surprised, like he was afraid of taking your call almost.

“Hi, Mr. Hux?” You asked, making sure you had the right number.

“This is he. Is--Is this Clover?” He asked you yet again. In the background you could hear him moving around, stumbling over things as he spoke to you.

“Yeah, yeah, it’s--” You started to answer him, but was cut off by the sound of somebody else speaking over him.

“Who’s that?” They asked. It was a woman, a woman that you didn’t recognize. She sounded just as shocked as he did. You didn’t know what to think of the situation. Clearly you had caught him at a bad time.

“I’m sorry, but I’m here to move into the apartment and need someone--”

“That was today?!” He exclaimed, cutting into your speech yet again. 

“Um, yeah. Sorry the rain slowed me down a bit. I need someone to let me into the garage,” There was silence on the other line for a moment, before you could hear Hux whispering to whoever else was around. “I’m sorry, is this a bad time? I can call Mr. Solo if you’d like.” You offered, only to have Hux panic even harder at you.

“No, no, no, no,” He strung together rather quickly. “Don’t call Ben. I can handle it. He’s away at a preshoot. I’ll be down in just a second.” He babbled, leaving you stunned. He didn’t even give you a chance to say anything back before hanging up. You stared at your phone while the rain drummed all around you, unsure of what to make of the entire conversation. It was strange, especially when you realized him coming down meant he was in the building and not at home. Maybe he had a girlfriend or something that lived there too. Afterall, he did tell you he spent a few years in what would be your apartment too. You placed your phone down and waited for him to come down, not giving the confusing matter another thought. The rain would be your biggest problem, since it was literally raining on your perfect parade. 

Fifteen minutes later a colorful, red and white umbrella came bobbing down the sidewalk. You could see it in your passenger side mirror, amongst the few other people walking to and from your car, you could easily see Hux’s red hair from under the biggest umbrella being held. He walked up to your passenger window and smiled down adorably at you. It was like he hadn’t been freaking out over the phone a few minutes ago, and he looked totally normal. You unlocked your car and he wasted no time in lowering himself into his car and collapsing his umbrella.

“Right, hello. How are you Clover?” Hux said, slamming your door shut and staring at you. His eyes were wide and his breathing was heavy, but you could tell he was trying his hardest to control himself as best as he could. The rain was never fun for everyone. Maybe he had just tired himself out speed walking to your car to get out of the rain.

“I’m fine,” You said, smiling politely and ignoring his obvious predicament. 

“Here, I brought you your key and your parking pass,” He said as he handed over a white envelope. Printed on the front was your first name as well as the number 603, the apartment number where you’d be living. “There you are! The card will get you into all the doors and the parking garage, so keep it safe.” He lectured while you began dipping your fingers into the envelope. You pulled the key card out and admired the thin piece of plastic, smiling at the Midtown apartments logo on the clean white card. At that point, all of the confusion you had against Hux fell away from you. All you cared about was trying out your new keycard on the garage terminal, so you quickly put your car into drive and began driving it up the ramp. You rolled down the window and pressed the card against the box, and felt an incredible amount of joy when the barrier rose to let you through.

“ _ Welcome home, Clover, _ ” The robot spoke above the sound of the rain splattering onto the concrete. You couldn’t help but to let out a giggle.

“Pleased, are we?” Hux cut into your excitement. 

“I am. I’ve been looking forward to this forever,” You answered him as you began the process of driving up to the 6th floor.

“Yeah you’re quite early. I wasn’t expecting you till the 10th,” He mentioned, to which you wanted to roll your eyes. You had spoken to both him and Ben about moving in today on the 8th of October, sooner rather than later. You found it strange that he had forgotten, but didn’t want anything else to cloud up your move in experience. You shuffled it to the back of your mind, instead engaging in a different conversation.

“So, when does Mr. Ren want me to start my first day of work?” You asked just as you pulled into a parking spot on the ramp, just a few feet from the door to the building. 

“I don’t know, to be honest with you,” Hux retorted before rising out from your car. You had literally just put it in park and he seemed eager to get back to wherever he was before you called. It made you uneasy, but you were happy to see that he still opened the rear door of your car to help you bring some of your boxes in. “How does after the weekend sound? Monday perhaps?” You shrugged, smiling as you too got out of the car and opened your other door to retrieve one of your many boxes and bags.

“Sounds as good as any day to me,” You said with a smile, hoisting one of the boxes over your shoulder. Hux smiled back at you before leading the way toward the building. He had you test your bronze key to get into your apartment, and you were thrilled when it opened right up. Nothing had changed from the last time you were in here. Everything was in its perfect spot, and the space looked clean and pristine just as you liked it. You set everything down before turning to Hux to offer him your thanks for helping you, when he immediately turned and thumbed toward the door.

“Would you like me to help you with another load?” He asked, to which you happily nodded your head. Together, the two of you walked back to the parking garage where you grabbed another handful of your belongings. Hux was happy to help you bring all of your stuff to your apartment, and he left them stacked in your living room wherever you wanted them. You were grateful, because it only took the two of you three trips to retrieve everything. Had it been just you, you were sure it would have taken you at least an hour. But with Hux it only took twenty minutes.

“Right, why don’t you get settled then?” Hux brought up the subject casually. “Your check from Ben is on the counter there. He should be home in a few more hours.” 

“Wonderful,” You said, bringing your arms gently down to your sides and looking around your new home. “I’ll have to text him and say--”

“No, no, don’t text Ben,” Hux cut in once again with a small sense of panic in his voice. “He’s incredibly busy at the moment. I’ll let him know you’ve made it for you when he’s finished, alright?” He said with a nervous grin. Again, the unexplainable shift in his behavior was confusing to you, but you tried not to think too much about it. This was the start of a new beginning for you, and you wanted everything to be perfect.

“Okay. I’ll text him tomorrow then?” You offered in adjustment. It felt like he was your teacher and you were asking him permission to text your own boss, which was weird. He backed up to your front door, opened it and then stepped awkwardly into the hallway.

“Excellent. He’ll have more to tell you about when he’ll need you to start, I’m sure,” He smiled, then waved rather quickly. “I have to get back to business now, but I’m happy to know that you’re officially moved in!” He muttered. Again, he seemed rushed and awkward, and it was making you nervous.

“No, problem, Mr. Hux. Thanks for the help!” You said as you placed your hand on the door ready to close it.

“I’ll text you if I need you for anything, but I probably won’t.” He continued, and you gave him a quick ‘alright’ in response. You stared at him, and he stared at you. He didn’t move at all. The man just stood there smiling at you, and it was the strangest thing ever. After five seconds of staring into his icy blue eyes, you decided you couldn’t take it anymore. Ever so slowly you shut the door, peering around it at him the entire time. You never saw him move, and you could only hope that he did when the door was shut all the way. Once it was closed and Hux could no longer be seen, you leaned against the wall and stared into what was now your living room. Boxes upon boxes and bags all sat waiting to be unpacked. The interaction you had with Armitage was an oddity. You had never seen him act so strangely before. You had a hard time deciding on whether or not you should be concerned, but ultimately decided that, whatever it was, it was none of your business. For now, your number one priority needed to be unpacking and making yourself at home. After all, this was your brand new home! 

You lifted yourself from the wall and treaded into your living room, up to your boxes where you lifted one from the pile and placed it on the couch. Using your keys you poked into the tape and ripped it open to reveal your favorite fleece blanket. It was a gold blanket with brown and black pawprints on it; a handmade gift from your late aunt that, during the cold season, went with you in every room of the house. A sense of pride swept over you as you imagined what this would look like on your new bed, draped over the couch, and so on. It was the motivation you needed to start on the daunting task of making this apartment yours. Hux’s bizarre behavior be damned. You had a job to do, and you wanted to make as much progress on day one as you could. 

You went to work on the boxes in your living room for hours on end. You had some family photos that you set down on your kitchen counter of the time being, your diploma that you had housed in an expensive, smooth ebony frame that you moved to your bedroom, along with as many clothes as you could pack. You had your toiletries and a few towels and washcloths that found a comfortable home in your bathroom, and your laptop, books, and notebooks remained boxed up in your living room. At 2:30, your stomach began to rumble. It was time for lunch, but your fridge was empty. You kicked your laundry basket into the hall where your washer and dryer sat hidden behind a slatted rolling door. Maybe it was time to deposit that check Mr. Ren was so kind to give you.

You had been through the hallways of the Midtown apartments enough times to almost accurately find your way out of the apartment and into the garage. Going straight instead of turning left at the third hallway intersection put you in the 630s, but you managed to find your way back to the garage nevertheless. On your way out you cherished the box telling you to  _ have a great afternoon, Clover,  _ and with the help of your phone’s GPS you were on your way to the bank. It was only a five minute drive, and luckily for you it was your home bank so the transaction was swift. On your way out you looked up the nearest grocery store. Again, you were elated to see just ten minutes away was a Publix. It wasn’t your favorite grocery chain, but being so close to your new home you figured you had to try it. In the highest of spirits you made your way there, came up with seven meals to make along with general items you’d need to have in your home, and then got to work on shopping.

Bread for grilled cheese, milk and cereal for breakfast, bacon and eggs for any time of the day, laundry detergent, poptarts, donuts, windex, lysol wipes, five pounds of ground beef, shredded cheese, and so many other items ended up in your cart that evening. Odds and ends for your home, snacks, shelf stable products and everything you’d need to make dinner every night for the first week in your apartment took an hour and a half to shop for, and when you got to the register your total was one hundred and eighty seven dollars and forty two cents. That was less than what you were planning on spending, but figured the remaining money Kylo had given you could easily be spent elsewhere for your home. You inserted your card into the machine, and just as you were about to type in your pin number your phone began to vibrate in your back pocket. You reached for it and were excited to see Kylo’s name at the top of your phone screen. You answered the call while continuing to type in your pin, starting the conversation on a cheery note.

“Hey, boss,” You greeted him, and the hearty chuckle you heard from the other line warmed your heart.

“Clo, hey, how are you?” Kylo’s tender voice carried through your phone, and you chose to pay all of your attention to him instead of the cashier who was trying to hand you your receipt. 

“I’m doing alright, just got finished at the grocery store and I’m about to head home,” You said as the man behind the cash register cleared his throat. You reached up to grab your receipt, mouthed a quick ‘ _ thank you’  _ to him before pushing your cart toward the exit. “I heard you had a preshow or a table reading or something today? How did that go?” He hummed into the phone, and you could have sworn you could see his pleasant smile in your head just from the little noise he responded to you with.

“It went well, thanks for asking,” He said as you exited the store and walking straight into the rain. “I was hoping I could see you into your new apartment. I’m sorry that I missed it.” He said remorsefully, which made you feel bad. 

“Oh no, it’s fine! Mr. Hux told me what was going on, and he let me in. No big deal.” You assured him.

“Yeah, he just texted me. I guess it just slipped my mind,” He cleared his throat. Upon making it back to your car that was parked on the bottom level of the parking garage, you began to unload your bags. You could tell he still felt sorry about the situation, and you felt like you had to make him feel better somehow.

“It’s alright. Hux told me he forgot too,” You giggled, but the silence that you got from the other line quickly turned your mood around.

“He forgot too?” He asked you, sounding bewildered.

“Um, yeah. I called him and he sounded confused when he picked up,” You started, but quickly remembered that Kylo was Hux’s boss too and you worried about getting him in trouble. “But, but he helped me bring my stuff in and everything. It was fine!” You blabbered. The last thing you wanted to do was get Armitage in trouble. You were new here after all, and that wouldn’t be fair. 

“That’s very unlike Armitage to be forgetful. He’s usually good at being on top of everything,” He murmured. You had no response to this, because you thought he was out of character for the few times you had interacted with him. “Ah, no bother. Go ahead and get settled and tomorrow we can have a conversation about your start date. I just wanted to call and check in, make sure your first day wasn’t terrible.” He explained. You closed your trunk, leaned against your car and smiled. He was so thoughtful, which is exactly what you needed at the moment.

“Will do, Mr. Ren,” You answered him as you walked around to the driver’s side of your car.

“Clo, I’ve told you, call me Kylo. There’s no reason to be so formal,” Kylo reminded you casually. 

“Right, Kylo,” You said back to him. The two of you then exchanged goodbyes and you hung up the phone. With a huge smile on your face you sat in your car and booted up your GPS to get you back to your new home. Yes, the rain had put a hindrance on your day, but Kylo calling and checking in on you had turned that around. Now you’d have a delicious lunch to look forward to before getting back to unpacking. Your first day in the big city of Atlanta Georgia had been a success, and it only made you that much more excited to start your first day of work for your kind and considerate boss.


	7. Chapter 7

In the early morning hours of Monday October the 14th you stood in your kitchen brewing yourself a cup of donut cafe style coffee in your brand new cherry red Keurig. Off to the side you had your large bottle of pumpkin spice coffee creamer and your berry toaster strudels that had been warmed in the microwave and decorated with the white icing. It was a quiet, exciting morning. You stood watching the sunrise as you awaited the text from Kylo with the list of things he’d need for the week from the same Publix you had your first shopping trip at. In your black camisole and jack o'lantern fleece pajamas you poured the coffee creamer into your piping hot up of coffee and you checked your phone one more time. He told you he’d text you a list, but he hadn’t messaged you yet. It was only seven AM. He might not have even been awake yet. The only reason why you were awake was because you couldn’t wait to get your first day of employment started.

You would always receive a weekly paycheck of $400, and Kylo carefully explained that you would shop for him during the day using your own credit card, and at the end of each night you would submit the receipts to Hux and he would reimburse you the next day. You would be on call between the hours of 8 am and 4 pm during the week, with optional nights and weekends where you’d receive your regular pay when working for him. On paper it didn’t sound like a lot, but the fact that he was paying your rent and utilities meant your weekly pay could go for all of your other expenses. You took a sip of your coffee, savoring the sweet taste and awakening your senses. Kylo had told you to expect a text from him sometime today with his first order, and you were ready for whenever it would come.

The minutes ticked by, and when you didn’t get a single message you retired to your couch where you turned on the TV and switched it to the preinstalled Netflix app. You figured if you were starting a new adventure today you might as well start on a new show to binge watch as well.  _ The Queen’s Gambit _ had been getting amazing reviews, and it looked like an interesting show for sure. Using the TV remote that Kylo had left sitting out on the couch for you, you flipped through your suggested lists until you came to the show and eagerly selected it. The dark and daunting introduction sucked you in right away, and before you knew it you sat through two full episodes. Your toaster strudels were long gone as was your coffee, and a quick glance at your phone showed it was now nearing 10 AM. You still hadn’t heard anything back from the Solos, and you were beginning to wonder if they’d even need you today. You stood from the couch and ambled over to the massive window that overlooked the city, empty cup of coffee in hand you simply took in the view. 

With the show rolling into its third episode in the background you felt at total peace. It was still gloomy from yesterday, and the minute drops of rain on the window indicated that there was still a slight drizzle in the air. It must have been cold and wet outside, but here inside of your apartment you were warm and happy. Below you, the cars whizzed by until stopped by traffic lights, and people dawning umbrellas walked to and fro. People on bikes and scooters rolled through the crosswalks as others lined up outside of food trucks and newspaper stands to buy from them. The city was alive. You smiled as you allowed the magic of the moment to surround you. Never had you thought living in the city would be this great, and the feeling was intensified when your phone had vibrated from behind you. 

Your heart soared as you took a dive for the arm of the couch, grasping at your phone and unlocking the first notification. It was, indeed, a text from Kylo, and it was just what you wanted to see:

_ Hi Clover. Hannah just got finished making up our list for the week. If you could go out and get this stuff by 4 that’ll make Hannah happy. She says she’d like you to shop at the Whole Foods right down the street. _

Attached was a picture of a handwritten note, written in the most beautiful cursive handwriting you had ever seen. It was a list of seven meals, likely the meals Hannah would be cooking for the week. There were fancy dishes like chicken cordon bleu, shrimp fettuccine alfredo, and lobster mac and cheese. There were also the plain meals that you were used to, like spaghetti and cheeseburgers, and various sides to go along with them. She wanted fresh, organic broccoli crowns, fresh lemons and cucumbers, unbaked bread loaves and pizza crust, as well as chocolate chip cookie dough and cake mix. You smiled at your phone; Hannah must really love to cook. It made sense because the meal she had made you a few weeks ago was spectacular. You exited out of the photo and instantly got to writing out a reply.

“ _ No problem, boss. I’ll get ready and head out for it now.” _

You didn’t even wait for a reply before halfway sprinting to your bedroom to get dressed for your first job for Kylo.

Wholefoods was a two minute drive from the apartment building, and you got to work in the highest spirits. The grocery store they had chosen was bright and colorful, with flashes of rich, healthy greens and oranges hung all over the walls of the store. The moment you walked in you could tell you had entered a high end territory. Well dressed and put together people milled about examining the fresh, locally grown produce that was set up at the entrance of the store, and it was all one extraordinarily large section of nothing but organic produce. In fact, most people congregated at this part of the store, bagging up the fattest heads of lettuce and the ripest oranges you had ever seen in your life. You took a few more steps in, moving to grab a cart since the Solo’s order was so big, but you simply could not keep your eyes from the most intricate display of fruits and vegetables. Almost perfect pyramids of apples, oranges, and pineapples sat in crates in the center of the store. The bell peppers were grouped by color along the refrigerated walls, along with cucumbers and packaged carrots in that section. This wall stretched all along the produce section, and there were employees happily stocking as patrons shopped around them. This place seemed like the place to be when shopping, and you couldn’t wait to get to know the store better.

The first thing on the Solo’s list was a list of meats they’d need for the week, but since the produce section was the first thing you encountered you decided to start there. With your phone up you maneuvered the cart into the center of the produce section and scanned the list they had sent. The first thing you would grab would be six sweet potatoes for a sweet potato pie. You found a crate of sweet potatoes not too far from where you had entered, and immediately went to tear off a plastic bag. You inspected each potato closely and was shocked to see that there was not a speck of dirt on any of the six that you picked up. Other grocery stores always had some dirty potatoes, which was understandable since they came from the ground, but the people at Whole Foods scrubbed their potatoes clean. You happily moved to place them in your cart, but ended up chuckling at the price. $1.99 per pound for sweet potatoes was rather steep, but you kept it in mind that you weren’t the one paying for this. The Solos were, and that was perfectly fine. 

As you finished shopping in the produce section and moved onto the meat the Solo’s needed, you noticed a lot of this stuff was more expensive than you were expecting. You had just bought a package of bacon for yourself that previous week for $4.99, but here the Solos were asking for bacon by a brand that cost $6.99. Again, you picked it up and tossed it into the cart. Kylo was an actor. They must have had the money. Without another thought, you went around gathering their other needs. Organic Whole Foods brand Cheerios. Garlic chili hot sauce. Oat milk. Sliced swiss cheese, and so on. By the time you had finished, gone up and down the list to make sure you had everything they wanted, waited in the check out line and paid, they had racked up a bill of $205.72. The cashier handed you the receipt and you began exiting the building. The second you walked outside you hoped the Solos would make good on their promise to pay you back. $200 was a lot of money to just lose, but you figured since they moved you in next to them and made you sign a bunch of paperwork that meant they were legit. 

You loaded up their many bags into the trunk of your car then pulled the receipt out of your pocket, laid it on the center of your steering wheel and took a photo of it for Hux. From what you understood, Hux was not only Kylo’s talent agent, but somewhat of an assistant to him as well. He took care of the majority of his finances and his meetings for his career, and he would be the one in charge of paying you back for his shopping trips. You pulled up Hux’s chat, attached the photo and began typing out a message for him:

“ _ Hi Mr. Hux! I just completed my first ever shopping trip for Hannah and Kylo. Here’s my receipt.” _

It was all you could come up with, and you were happy with the simple line. You hit send, then were on your way back to the apartment building. It was only 11:45, so the traffic was minimal and you made it easily back to the apartment building without the help of your GPS. You let yourself into the garage, drove up to the 6th floor, then started your ungraceful act of carrying ten plastic bags of groceries through the building. This time you made no mistakes in getting to the hallway you and the Solos lived in. You moved all ten bags onto your left arm and then painfully knocked on the door. You stood upright, ready for the moment your knocks were answered and then proudly smiled at Hannah as she looked you up and down.

“Hello dear,” She said, pushing the door to the side so you could come in. She stepped out of your way, and you had every intention of greeting her but she never gave you the chance to. “Did, did Ben not tell you to come get the reusable bags before you went shopping?” She asked, her tone dropping quickly from excited to see you to disappointment rather quickly. Your smile faded as well, and you didn’t really know how to answer.

“No, he didn’t. I’m sorry,” You apologized to her. She looked you up and down, let her eyes linger on the bags that were currently cutting into the flesh of your arm and then gestured her head to the kitchen.

“It’s okay, not your fault,” She said with a sigh. “I guess it’s been so long since we’ve had a shopper he forgot. Go ahead and set them down in the kitchen. I’ll get you the bags and you can keep them in your home.” She explained. With that, you started to relax. It was clear she was putting the blame on Kylo and not you, which made you feel much better about your mistake. You did as she told you and set the bags down in the kitchen, and not too long afterward she re-emerged from the hallway with a handful of colorful rectangular tote bags. 

“Here’s the receipt,” You said to her with a smile. “I hope I did alright. They had everything you asked for.” You told her, to which she quickly smiled down at you.

“Well, that’s good to hear. Thank you for being so quick. I don’t think the last kid was ever that fast with our grocery shopping,” She praised you, and it made you feel great.

“No problem, Mrs. Solo,” You said as you turned to head out the door. “Please text me if you need anything else. I’ll be around, obviously!” You said jokingly as you made it to the door.

“I will, honey. Thank you again!” She opened the door for you and you made your way out, then you turned to the right so that you could return to your apartment. As you entered your home you set the bags down next to the door and simply smiled at the wall across from you. Except for the hiccup with the bags, your first run at your new job went incredibly well. If this is how simple your job would be, then you’d keep it for as long as you could. The Solos were respectful of you and at the least the grocery shopping portion of the Solo’s needs were easy. You were certain this was the best introduction to a job in the film industry, and the number one thing you were looking forward to was the next thing they’d need you to go get for them. 

And that was your job. Tuesday the Solos had nothing for you to do. Wednesday Kylo asked you to pick up a prescription for him for a dental procedure he was having in the next few days. Thursday Hannah asked you to drop a package off at the post office for her family in Maine, then later that evening decided that she and Kylo wanted wine so she sent you to the liquor store for her. Friday Hannah realized she was short on cilantro for a dish she was cooking for dinner, so she asked you to run to the store to grab some for her. Each time you had spent money, you were indeed repaid the next day by Hux, and Saturday morning you woke up to find $402 dollars extra in your bank account. $400 for your pay, and two dollars for the cilantro. You grew excited and incredibly relieved. The job was legit, and that night you fell asleep with no worries on your mind.

Saturday, from what you understood, was optional for you to work. You decided to sleep in that day, and when you woke up at close to noon you decided to pay off your cell phone bill and your monthly student loan payment, and you still had $250 left to spend until next Friday. You were so proud of yourself, that while your bacon and eggs were cooking you decided to give your mom a call. You dialed her, and just as you expected she picked up before the end of the second ring. 

“Oh, Clover, I’m so happy you’ve called!” Your mother greeted you, sounding as if was about to burst into tears. Your mother had always been such an emotional individual. You expected this, especially when she had texted you every other day to remind you to call her over the weekend to tell her all about your first week of work. “Have you been alright? Is it everything you imagined it would be?” She asked, and you found yourself giggling at her.

“Yeah mom, I just got my first paycheck last night,” You explained, to which your mom let out a joyous squeal. 

“I’m so happy for you dear!” She exclaimed, and then the two of you went into an expressive conversation about how your week had gone. You talked about how amazing the Solos were, about how great your apartment was and about how much fun you were having in the city. In turn, your mom caught you up on what was going on with your family and friends in Tennessee. Your father had his promotion finalized at work and would be starting after the first of the year, and your mom was hoping the extra money would be enough to finally pay off their mortgage. All in all, it seemed like positivity was radiating from every angle of your life, at least until your mother had brought up a topic that had haunted you for so long.

“Well, before I let you go I want to warn you to please be careful about what you put on Facebook,” She brought up in a rather somber tone. “Your cousin Becca messaged me asking about you, and I know how you feel about her.” You rolled your eyes, let out a groan and fell down backward into your bed. 

“Becca? I blocked her a long time ago. What did she want with you?” You asked, feeling your rage beginning to brew. Your cousin Becca was so much younger than you, and it showed. While you were graduating high school and moving on to college, your cousin was doing drugs and partying all day and night long. She would hit you up for money, the first time was after her mother kicked her out and she claimed she needed food and you happily obliged her. Even though you were away at college struggling, you sent her $50. The next morning you saw on Facebook that she had bought a brand new video game for her on-again-off-again boyfriend. You still gave her the benefit of the doubt, until your mother sent you screenshots of a conversation she had with Becca who asked her for more money for food. Your mother politely asked what happened to the money you had given her, and Becca claimed you had never given her any money. You were livid. When you confronted her it turned into a screaming match on the phone, and when you cut all ties with her your car was mysteriously broken into that winter when you came home from school. Nothing was missing, but Becca lived just twenty minutes away and had always been a hot head. You never found out who it was, but you were certain it was her. You just wanted Becca out of your life for good, and to hear that she had contacted your mom about you angered you more than you were willing to admit.

“She wanted your new number, and I told her I didn’t have it. She just hung up on me, but you did just put up a status about your new job, so…” Your mother explained carefully. You let out an exasperated sigh. She didn’t need to say anything more, because you knew exactly where this was going to go. 

“I guess it was Aunt Evelyn or something,” You said, and when nothing but an ominous silence came through the line you knew your mother was feeling down too. “It’s okay, mom. She knows I moved to Georgia but she won’t know where I live. Besides, Becca doesn’t have a car. She has no way of finding me.” You attempted to lighten the situation with a laugh, and your mother hummed into the phone.

“You’re probably right. I just wanted to let you know,” Your mother said. She sounded tired, and you knew it was all because of your cousin. Ever since your car got broken into your mom took it so hard for some reason. Maybe it was because you were her only child and she felt like she couldn’t protect you. Maybe it was because she, too, was afraid of Becca. Either way, guilt began weighing down on you. 

“Yeah, mom. Thanks. It’s not a big deal, I’m sure,” You tried to assure her once again. You wanted to cheer her up, but you couldn’t think of anything that you could say to make her happy. “If you need me to come home--”

“No, Clo,” Your mother cut you off swiftly. “I’m a big girl, I can take care of myself. I’m more worried about you, baby. Don’t let Becca bring you down. You’ve got yourself set up in the best situation ever. She doesn’t deserve any of what you’ve worked hard to achieve.” Your mom said. The statement was so full of love, and you could feel yourself becoming emotional as well.

“Thanks mom. You’re definitely right,” You tried to hide the lump in your throat, but luckily you didn’t have to hide your emotion for much longer because your mother quickly switched the conversation to what was going on at home once again. You stayed on the phone with her for another fifteen minutes, then decided to say your goodbyes. Your mother hung up the phone with a passionate ‘I love you,’ and you laid your phone down on the bedside table. It was crazy to think that your day had started so well, yet at the thought of your irresponsible cousin it had all gone downhill. You threw your arm over your face and bit back the urge to cry. Becca. She was the last thing you wanted to think about today.

But she stayed on your mind all day long. 

If there was one thing you felt strongly about, it was staying loyal to your family. You grew up with Becca. You loved Becca, and you wanted to help her. But she took your trust and she flushed it down the toilet. She attacked you, and you knew she trashed talked you behind your back; all because you called her out on  _ her  _ wrongdoings. You were hurt. The fact that she was looking for you likely to exploit you again made you want to rage. You tried to let go and enjoy a quiet Saturday in, but Becca simply haunted you all day long. Any minute you expected your phone to go off and see her number, asking you for money or for your new address or something like that. It made you sick just thinking about it. You made yourself a sandwich for lunch, then some spaghetti and meatballs for dinner. As you sat on the couch shoveling the noodles into your mouth, you were devastated to hear your text tone go off. You took a look on the couch and watched as the banner with the message appeared and disappeared. You were content to just ignore it for the rest of the night until you had a good night's rest, but you remembered that your boss was always one to contact you by text. He could need you to get him something this evening, so you had to look and see who it was. You bit your tongue as you reached for your phone, but immediately let out a sigh of relief when you saw that it was, indeed, Kylo that had texted you:

_ “Hey there, Clo. Don’t mean to bother you so late, but the production company wants me to pick up my script sooner rather than later. Do you think you could run and grab it for me tomorrow morning? I’ve already listed you as my authorized, official assistant so they should give you no trouble as long as you present your ID.” _

Work on a Sunday usually made a lot of people upset, but for you it was like opening the greatest gift on Christmas morning. It was exactly what you needed to hear in that moment, and you didn’t hesitate in typing up a response to him right away:

“ _ Sure thing! If I pick it up first thing in the morning, is it alright if I take a short walk right afterword?” _

You figured it would be better to ask before just disappearing or being too far away if the Solos needed you. Weekends were optional, according to your contract, but you had decided early on that, unless you were busy with personal matters, you would take any job they wanted you to whenever they needed. You didn’t want to let them down this early on in your employment to them, so seeking permission was the best avenue. Even better was it only took Kylo a minute or so to respond to you.

_ “Absolutely. Thank you for letting me know.” _

You smiled at his cordial response. You had every intention to leave the message right where it was, but your loneliness was nagging you to continue the conversation. In the last week you had only seen the Solos and occasionally Hux for only a few moments a day and barely said five words to them when you did. The companionship, no matter how little, Kylo was giving you at the moment was valuable to you, and you decided to respond:

_ “Thanks. I just need to clear my head for a few hours.” _

The response was short and sweet, and you hoped it wouldn’t put him off too badly. You didn’t want to come off as the kind of person who complained about everything and pushed your burdens onto other people, especially a person that you had just met. In fact, you weren’t even expecting a response and decided to set your phone down in favor of your dinner. You turned your attention back to the newest episode of  _ Impractical Jokers _ and was shocked to hear just moments later your text tone going off again. It was a response from Kylo, and a rather long one at that”

_ “Is everything ok? Don’t tell me we’ve worn you out after only a week on the job!” _

A shocked emoji trailed behind his last sentence. You didn’t expect him to take an interest in your need for a walk at all, and thought carefully about your response. No, it wasn’t because of him and you wanted to let him know that, but how detailed should you get about your problems with your cousin? You took a moment to draft a reply in your head, and when you felt you had it right you set forth in responding to him:

_ “Yeah, everything is fine. It isn’t the job (trust me, I love working for you), it’s something to do with my family. It’ll sort itself out, I’m sure. I just need some fresh air is all.” _

You stared at your phone after sending it, knowing you had Kylo’s attention and knowing it wouldn’t take long for him to respond. Again, you didn’t want to seem like you were pushing your problems off on him and you worried you had over shared. In your mind you made a mental note not to share your personal issues with him unless they pertained to work, but the reply that you got seemed to go against the rule you just made:

_ “Oh, I’m sorry about that, Clo. Why don’t we have lunch tomorrow and I can show you one of my favorite walking paths? Han’s yoga meeting got rescheduled for tomorrow and I only had reviewing the script on my to-do list. It would do me good to get out of the house too after my root canal on Friday.” _

A smile grew on your face at his suggestion, and you definitely felt your heart flutter. Was this like a date? Like a friendly date? In any other situation you would have definitely regarded it as so, but you knew Kylo. You knew how deeply his love for his wife ran and you knew how much both Hannah and Kylo valued their marriage. This wouldn’t be a romantic date, it was just a get together between colleagues. You had nothing but respect for Kylo’s marriage and his almost perfect relationship with his wife, and with that you wouldn’t allow things to get too weird during your time with him. Besides, he had asked this on his own and so naturally that you felt like he had done this several times with his employees. It would be nothing but an innocent lunch and walk with your boss, and so you happily replied to him your acceptance:

_ “That sounds like so much fun. I could get to know the city a bit more. I’ll see you tomorrow, and thanks again!” _

You set your phone down on the couch and picked your plate up. The response you got was just a smiling emoji, and you didn’t feel like it warranted a reply of your own. Instead you finished up your episode in the happiest of spirits. Tomorrow you’d get out of the house and get to know your boss a little bit better. After the day you had, it was the best thing to look forward to.


	8. Chapter 8

Sunday morning was bright and sunny, and you woke up at ten AM sharp to the sound of your alarm in a great mood. You didn’t want to admit how much you were looking forward to going on a walk with your boss. Getting out into the fresh air with the closest person you considered to be a friend seemed like a good way to get your mind off of your troubles at least for a little while, and you were looking forward to getting to know Kylo better. You could only hope that he was hoping for the same for you too. You jumped into the shower to awaken your senses, readied yourself in a pair of black jeans and a plain red T shirt, then started to head out the door. Having left your new home and come back several times in your first week, you could navigate the halls to the garage without even second guessing yourself. In fact, you flexed this skill that moment, walking to the garage and texting Kylo at the same time:

_“I’m on my way to pick up your script. GPS Says it’s like 30 min away.”_

You picked your head up and found that you were standing in front of the stairwell, and it took no time at all to get there. You couldn’t help but to be proud of yourself. The tiniest victories that you were accruing during your time in Atlanta kept you going, and you figured that Kylo Ren entrusting you with his script was an even greater victory. You sat down in your car and officially started the GPS. In roughly an hour you’d hand deliver Kylo’s script to him and he’d be ever so grateful. It was a wonderful thing to look forward to, and even more exciting was the fact that he would be showing you to one of his favorite spots in the city.

The GPS hadn’t lied, and you had arrived at a large office park just on the outskirts of Atlanta after 11 AM. The buildings were short and clustered together, so much so that you couldn’t see what was behind them. You pulled into their driveway and were met with a large brass sign that read _First Order Production Company,_ and next to this sign was a gate with an arm that would lift presumably when you got clearance. You pulled your car up as close to the call box as you could get, then pressed the button. It rang until a woman on the other line picked up.

“First Order Production Company, can I help you?” She asked with a hint of cheer in her voice. You cleared your throat and prepared your speech, hoping you didn’t sound too suspicious for her to turn you away.

“Hi, I’m here to pick up a script for Mr. Ben Solo,” You started, but quickly realized that maybe she didn’t know him by his legal name. “Er, sorry, Kylo Ren?” You added quickly. You hoped that would have saved you and fixed the situation, but the uncertainty that came from the speaker right afterword made you nervous.

“Um, he sent someone to pick up his script?” She asked you. You shut your eyelids tight and took a deep breath. You had come way too far to be turned away, so you had to make this right.

“Yeah. I’m his personal shopping assistant. He said all I’d need to do is show my ID.” You explained, but yet again there was silence on the other line.

“Oh, okay,” She said. You could hear things being shuffled on the other end. “Let me just run this by my supervisor. Give me one second.” The line went completely silent, and you could only assume she had placed you on hold. Frustrated, you pulled out your phone and began typing a message to Kylo, letting him know what was going on:

_“Just made it to the production company, but they’re giving me a hard time getting your script. Sorry.”_

You hit send and then sat and waited. You were getting annoyed for sure, but lucky for you just a few moments after you messaged your boss the woman came back on the line. 

“Hi, we’re just gonna send someone out to verify your ID, then you can park and we’ll bring the script out to you.” She said. Her cheery tone had returned once again, and you felt relieved. 

“Okay, thank you,” You called back out to her, and then waited patiently. You stared into the open blue sky, out into the great green grass of the empty lot that was next to the production buildings. Everything seemed to be fine and you were content with just sitting there and waiting. At least until a massive green SUV pulled up behind you. You closed your eyes, sighed as you realized this would only happen to you. You took a look at them in your rearview mirror and saw that they were just sitting there as well. The poor person was probably returning from their lunch break, or just coming in for today, or god forbid someone awaiting some sort of contract for a show or something. Your fingers tightened around the steering wheel, and your nervousness increased tenfold when they did exactly what you knew they would do: honked their horn. They wanted you to move, but you had nowhere to go. The gate wouldn’t lift. What did they want you to do? Beside you on the passenger seat your phone vibrated, and you were relieved to see Kylo had responded to your text:

_“Everything ok?”_

You forced a smile as you whipped up a snappy reply:

“ _No. Lol.”_

You had nothing else to say to him, really. Internally you were panicking, and you wanted nothing more than to go to the park and have some down time. You took another look at the person in your rearview, and now they were pointing their hand at you and shaking their head. You bit down on your tongue as you tried to come up with some sort of quick solution, but you had none. Instead you took a desperate look at the building, but let out a massive sigh of relief when you saw a man in a yellow shirt and black pants nearly sprinting toward you. Under his arm was a yellow bubble mailing envelope. This had to be it. Soon you’d be out of this person’s way, you could collect Kylo’s script, and be on your way. You rolled down your window and began pawing for your purse on your passenger seat; you were practically ready to throw your driver’s license at this man and snatch Kylo’s script from him.

“Hi. ID please?” The man asked, and without responding to him you fished out your wallet and pulled your ID free of the plastic window. He took a half a second look at your name, flashed his eyes at you for a moment before handing it back to you. “Good to go. The receptionist will lift the gate for you in a moment. Just flip a U-ie and head out this gate here to the right.” 

“Okay, thank you!” You said, reaching your arms forward to accept the envelope. The man handed it to you with no issues, then immediately turned and started to head back to the building. You held the envelope in your hands, squeezed it and felt the papers moving about it on the inside. It felt like you were holding a national treasure, and ever so slowly you set it down next to you. You were being extra careful with it, feeling like if you let it fall it would break or something. It was all so silly, but your nerves were standing on end and the last thing you wanted was for the script to become damaged somehow. As your hands returned to the steering wheel you watched as the man walked back to the building. You thought you could feel yourself sweating as you waited for the gate to lift, but the man lifted his arm and gave someone inside of the building a thumbs up. To your amazement, the arm of the gate lifted and, before it had even stopped, you pressed your foot on the gas and propelled your car forward. It felt like a massive weight had been lifted from your shoulders. You pulled a right immediately just as the SUV behind you pulled up to the gate, and without any hesitation you pressed the button on the same call box. A smile spread over your face as you watched the other yellow and black gate lift and you immediately rolled out onto the main road. It was time to stop stressing and look forward to your lunch date with Kylo. 

It wasn’t long before you were standing in front of Kylo’s door and clutching the package under your arm. You had made it back in record time, only because you were looking forward to spending time outside of the house. You waited patiently for Kylo to answer the door, and when he finally did you were pleased to see that he looked to be ready to go out as well. Equipped with a red manual toothbrush in his mouth that he quickly plucked from between his lips upon greeting you, his denim jeans and white T shirt just screamed relaxation.

“I see you made it back,” He said as blue foam began to form on his plush lips. You watched as he ran his tongue over his teeth to make himself that much more presentable, but it didn’t really matter. You were sure you weren’t looking that professional either, and you were dressed to have a peaceful afternoon just as he was. “And I see you got my script. Even better!” He stepped aside and allowed you to enter, and you did so without any hesitation. You had been inside of his home so many times that it was almost like an extension of your home, and you felt welcome. 

“Just set the script down on the dining room table. I’ll be out in just a second.” He gave you a warning, then stuck the toothbrush back into his mouth and disappeared into the back. From there you waited. Your eyes settled on the TV, where Kylo had been watching the Netflix show _The Floor is Lava._ They roamed along the entertainment center, over the walls and bookshelves and tables that contained so many personal touches. There were photos from the Solo’s wedding day, where Hannah stood tall and proud in a beautiful white dress and her hands full of beautiful white roses. There were selfies of them in cars, photos of them stood in front of a tall and colorful Christmas tree. So many different photos of them simply looking happy sat around you, and you couldn’t help but to be happy as well. Their entire space radiated happiness and positivity. You could only hope that one day your home would feel the same.

You sat and listened to the water run from his bathroom, listened to him move around in his bedroom over the sound of the TV until he came briskly walking out with a huge, suspicious looking grin on his face. You turned and met him, his smile radiating onto you quickly and you couldn’t suppress your own. His lips parted without saying anything, and you began to grow more and more confused at his strange behavior.

“What?” You laughed with a small shake of your head as you inquired about what was so entertaining.

“No, no, I just have a favor to ask you,” He started, stepping a bit closer and clearing his throat. You raised your eyebrows, nodded at him to go on. You’d do anything for him. After all, it was in your contract. “Hannah’s gotten so tired of me reciting this monologue in front of her over and over. I’ve auditioned for a part in a new movie coming up, and they want me to a short monologue. Well, I found the most perfect one and have spun it in front of my wife so many times, asking for her advice on how to perfect it, but she’s refusing to help me. Tells me she can never look at an eclair the same way again. Can you just, you know, listen to the way I act it out and let me know if you like it?” His smile faded a bit as he looked you right in the eyes. It was such a sweet request, and there was no way you’d pass it up. You were far more interested in hearing an actor recite a monologue right here in front of you, and you almost felt like Hannah was missing out. How many times would it take Kylo to recite a monologue to you before you got sick of it? You didn’t really know, but if he had to act it out a thousand times you’d listen to it and offer him as much constructive criticism as you could. After all, this was how he paid their bills. If Hannah wouldn’t help him, then you definitely would.

“If it’ll help you, sure.” You offered, turning your body toward him and crossing your legs on his couch and giving him all of your attention. He was elated to hear your acceptance, and immediately straightened himself up. His eyes closed and he placed his hands to his sides. A serious look fell onto his face before the light seeped back into his eyes, and once again he was smiling happily at you.

“Claire, Claire--my eclair...my chocolatey, sweet treat, my--” He started sweetly, but his cheerful demeanor quickly changed. “Okay, okay! I’ll stop! Don’t leave! I won’t call you that. I guess--I don’t deserve to call you that, do I?” His eyes melted into a cold look of regret there right in front of you, and in that moment you went from being his employee to his heartbroken ex girlfriend: Claire. “You’re not my--you’re not my eclair now. Not anymore. I’m just-- if you’re sweet then I’m, I’m, a-a-a-a _Tylenol_ , like when you chew it up.” He let out a chuckle, and then you were astounded to see that his eyes began to water. He had only said so many words but you were hooked on what he had to say. He was an incredible actor. You never thought you’d be able to cry on command, so you felt he was already leaps and bounds better than what you originally thought he was. Up and coming actor? No way. You could see his potential from even just one monologue. 

“All bitter and gross. That’s me. I know it, Claire. I’m a gross, chewed up Tylenol, and you don’t deserve that. Why would you talk to me? Why would you even look at me after what I did?” He stressed the word Tylenol with a chuckle, then reached up to wipe his eyes free of his tears. You could feel yourself slipping into a trance, silently begging him to go on. Clearly he had perfected and polished his craft so much that you were put under his spell. Right now he wasn’t Kylo. He was whoever this character was begging for Claire’s forgiveness. He took a long pause, sniffed to add emotion and then continued shortly afterword.

“But you do look at me. And that’s just because--that’s because you’re so perfect. You’re like, the most incredible person in the world, and I was so lucky for those two months to be part of such an incredible person’s life.” He paused again, then allowed another wave of anguish to waft across his face. “And, I want you to know, I mean, I hope you already do--but...I know I messed up. You trusted me and I stole money from your dad. And I lied. And, and that’s not cool, Claire. That’s so not what a beautiful sweet breakfast treat deserves, but you know, I did it anyway.” He stopped for a moment, and you found yourself leaning forward for more. He closed his eyes, took another deep breath before opening them and smiling just as he did in the beginning. “So, what did you think?” He asked. You blinked, wondering momentarily if that was a part of his monologue, but eventually it hit you that he had finished and was waiting for your input. 

“Good lord,” You breathed as you placed your hand on your chest, fell back as you tried to come back to reality rather than the place Kylo had taken you to. “That was amazing. You, you taught yourself all of that?” There probably could have been a better way to ask about his skills, but you truly were at a loss for words. The emotion he exhibited, the tears, the carefully placed cracks in his voice, and the words, it all came together and made for such an astounding performance. 

“Ah, yeah,” Kylo said with a cocky tone of voice. “I never went to acting school, never intend to either. The role I’m applying for is a freshman in college, right out of highschool. Does it sound fitting?” You took one look up and down at him, at the dark brown stubble that peppered his chin, at this well kept ear length hair, and at his well toned chest muscles that could be seen through his shirt. You bit back the urge to laugh. Freshmen in college by physique? Not a chance. In voice, though? Absolutely.

“I mean, you really nailed the lines. But you may have to work on your looks.” You said with a sympathetic grin. "You don't really look like a person right out of highschool." He chuckled at you, turned and reached for a leather jacket that was hanging on a fancy wooden coat hanger in the corner next to his door. 

“Eh, you know that’s what the make-up artists are for,” He said, motioning with his hand for you to follow him. “Come on. We can take my car because parking around the park is scarce a lot of the time.” The offer was sweet, especially since you had been running low on gas and hadn’t felt like refueling recently. You followed him out the door and to the familiar parking garage, where you loaded into the passenger seat of his sleek black Tesla. Once you were alone with him you felt like you could finally relax. This is what you had been looking for all day long, and you were determined to enjoy every second of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The monologue Kylo recited can be found  
> [here](https://www.tarameddaugh.com/blog/2016/8/11/claire-my-eclair-a-new-comedicdramatic-monologue)  
>   
> This was such a fun chapter to write!


	9. Chapter 9

“So, you’re a recent college grad. I’ve never been to college a day in my life. Tell me about your experience as a freshman?” Kylo had driven you the entire ten minute drive over to Piedmont Park, walked you into the grassy green areas and was now showing you around. The park was exactly what you needed. Open, breezy air. Bright, cloudless blue skies with the sun warming every inch of your visible skin. The people around you were happy as they walked the paths just like you, laughing and playing with one another or staying quietly to themselves with earbuds in their ears. Some were joggers, some were bikers, and some simply sat on towels to observe what was going on around them. It was so peaceful, and you were enjoying yourself so much that you almost forgot that Kylo had even asked you something to begin with.

“I really don’t know,” You faltered. Taking in a deep breath of the fresh air around you, you sifted through your memories of your college experience. There were parties every few months that you decided to venture out into. Late nights cramming for math exams. Cheap college food that probably had zero nutritional value. But was that even what Kylo was looking for? You took a look over to your right, past Kylo’s chest and over at a mother and father helping an infant walk across the fields. Not too far away was another family throwing a frisbee for a tall, thin dalmation. You wanted to help him, but you needed more information. “Do you know if your character is staying in a dorm or not?” He sucked his teeth in response, pushed the corner of his lips to his ear as if he were thinking carefully on his answer.

“A lot of it has to be kept secret, but yes, most of the movie takes place on a college campus,” He said. It was a shock to hear it had to be kept secret, although you should have known from the start. All film projects are always better kept secret. “But the main character breaks up with him at the beginning of the movie, and he fights to get her back. I just wanted to brush up on my college knowledge, you know?” He shrugged as he shoved his hands further into his pockets. 

“Oh, yeah. I admire you for that, looking into your roles and all that,” You said. The warm October air caressed your face, and you looked up at him with a smile. You really did applaud him for his dedication to his chosen career. One day, you wanted to be as loyal to your craft as he was to his. “It makes the characters a lot more fleshed out when the actor takes the portrayal to that kind of level.” You could see his cheeks beginning to redden. Clearly you had struck a chord within him, and you were happy to have flattered him.

“Well, it’s what pays the bills,” He looked down with a look of content. “I figure if I want to seriously be considered I have to take the role as seriously as I can. Other people just waltz right into the auditions with nothing. I want to be the guy that walks in confident knowing exactly how a college student would act. So, any advice you could give me would be wonderful.” The two of you shared a giggle, a sense of understanding. That’s exactly how you interviewed for every job you applied for, and yet you never got any of them. Except for Kylo’s job, of course, but apparently you had been the only one to apply for that one. The two of you continued to walk down the path until you had come to a small round peninsula, and Kylo placed his hand on your shoulders to steer you towards it.

“This is one of my favorite sitting spots,” He explained as he lightly pushed you to your left. It was rounded off with iron gates that looked over a massive lake. On the horizon were many of Atlanta’s tallest buildings that jutted out behind many yellowing trees. Along the concrete path were several small benches, and the ones Kylo led you to were right up against the rails, facing the lake. “Here, have a seat, then you can tell me all about your experiences.” He stepped aside and held his arm up for you, and you stepped in front of him with no hesitation. 

You started from the beginning. How scary it was for you to be on your own even though all of your needs would still be met. You didn’t think anything of the expenses at the time because you wouldn’t have to pay out of pocket, just later on down the line when your student debt would crush you. Your roommate was normal, although you had your fears that you would have gotten someone who was evil or wanted to hurt or humiliate you somehow. Your classes were easy; you were only taking intro level courses. The food was terrible, the late night parties were fun and daunting at the same time, and overall, your freshmen year of college was a fond time to look back on. As Kylo would reflect on the information you gave him and think of more questions you would stare out into the deep blue water, at the bright sun that reflected off the sides of the buildings, and at the trees that would sway in the wind. It felt like everything was right in your world, and it was only made better when Kylo piped up with a generous offer:

“Hungry?” It was a short and simple question, one that brought you back to your interview when he offered to buy you anything you wanted at the diner. You hardly knew him then, but now you felt like you were close enough that you could take him up on that offer.

“Maybe just a little,” You said. It was more than a little, for sure. The granola bar that you had grabbed on your way out the door had long worn off, and your stomach was beginning to voice it’s agitation. 

“Well, I think you were a goldmine of information and we both deserve a treat,” He stood, smiled at you from beneath his sunglasses. “‘Round the corner here is a crepe stand. My treat?” You stood up after him, thinking of crepes and how it really would be a treat. Back in high school you’d go to the mall with your friends and order crepes from a shady little stand in the corner of the food court. Ever since then you hadn’t had one, and it sounded like the perfect way to end a sweet walk with your boss. 

“That sounds lovely, actually,” The offer was simply too good to pass up, and soon you were following him down the walking trail to where this anticipated crepe stand was. 

“So is your head all clear now? No worries about your family or whatever it was?” He asked after a beat of silence. 

“Ah, yeah. This was really nice,” You responded as you once again took a moment to appreciate the environment around you. “I love the outdoors, and walking has always been almost therapeutic to me. Even when I’m not stressed it’s nice to be able to get out. Glad to have a new walking trail already!” Kylo smiled down at the ground, then pointed straight ahead. Not too far away was a mid sized trailer that had been outfitted like a food truck. It stood in the middle of an open field that was close to the road, and surrounding it was many satisfied looking customers. There were people walking away with their hands full of delicious looking crepes, folded waffles covered in whipped cream, chocolate sauce, and cherries, and other savory foods like sausage and egg crepes. Taking a sniff you could faintly smell the batter in the air and you grew excited. 

“Yeah, I’ve been visiting this park at least once a week since I moved here when Hannah and I married. It’s always nice when she can join but she’s a busy lady. Busier than I am sometimes,” He said with a chuckle. It was true. Every time you saw Hannah she always seemed to be moving. Cooking, writing, working on the computer, exercising, cleaning, and so on. Sometimes she wasn’t home, and Kylo would tell you she was out with a friend, or at a doctors appointment. She never really talked to you anyway, and mostly stayed to herself even when you were around her with Kylo or Hux or another one of their friends. You just figured she was introverted and quiet, and that was okay. On that note, the two of you approached the crepe stand and you were able to see the menu.  _ Kirby’s Handmade Crepes.  _ Their menu was extensive.

“I’ve gotten one of everything on the menu, but I recommend the rainbow crepe,” Kylo cut into your thoughts just as you had gotten to the drink menu. “Fruit of every color, plus multi colored whipped cream and they top it with fruity pebbles.” His suggestion sounded great. You were in a sweet kind of mood anyway. You were next in line and stared ahead of the people in front of you at all of the equipment in the little trailer. Two fridges, three waffle irons, and two stoves probably meant these people worked hard to keep their small business up and running, and you couldn’t wait to support them.

“I think that’s what I’ll get. I’ve only ever had sweet crepes anyway,” You admitted just as the people in front of you received their order. The chef smiled at them, told them to enjoy as he leaned on the shiny silver countertop and placed his attention on you. It only took him a moment to switch his attention to Kylo, and when he did his eyes lit up.

“Well welcome back, Mr. Ren!” He exclaimed with a huge, welcoming grin. You looked up to Kylo and he looked just as excited to speak with the man. Of course this was to be expected. Kylo had told you himself he had tried one of everything on the menu, and he told you he came to this park at least once a week, so he would be a frequent customer of this crepe stand. “How’s Hannah doing?” He asked, and Kylo nodded his head.

“Han’s doing well. I’m just out taking my new shopper here, showing her around town and all that. I wanted her to have the authentic Kirby crepe experience too!” He explained, and the two men shared a giggle. 

“Amazing. No trip to Piedmont's complete without a Kirby crepe,” The chef said.

“I agree,” A woman behind you cut in. You turned around and found an older woman staring at you. A jogger, judging from her tight fitting sporty clothing. 

“Well, give me the usual, and a smores crepe for Hannah. She’s off at yoga and won’t be happy to see it when she gets home, but I guarantee she’ll ask me for one later on.” Kylo said as he fished for his wallet in his back pocket. How Hannah could be upset about seeing something that sounded as delicious as a smores crepe, you didn’t know. However, you didn’t feel like pretending to understand her. You had never been into fitness, so obviously you shouldn't judge.

“And for you young lady?” The chef spoke as he began writing down Kylo’s order.

“I’ll take the rainbow crepe!” The man wrote your order down on the same piece of paper, then handed it off to the other cook that was busy in the back.

“Excellent choice,” The chef said before beginning to tap on a large white tablet in front of him. “Alright Mr. Solo. Fourteen seventy two.” The total was reasonable for three crepes, and you whispered a quiet thank you to Kylo as he handed his bright red bank card over. The smell of fresh pancake batter began to rise from the back of the trailer, and the sight of a bowl of fresh strawberries being picked and cut up made your mouth water. You looked back to the chef only to have your excitement fade into worry when you saw the grim look upon his face.

“Sorry Mr. Solo. Your card’s no good,” Your eyebrows rose as you stole a look over at Kylo who was looking just as confused as you felt.

“Is that right?” He asked, taking his card back and peering at it. “I thought I asked Armitage to pay this down. Guess not.” Again, he fished out his wallet and pulled out another card, a blue one this time, and handed it off. A nod and gentle smile from the chef while the card was being run indicated that it had gone through, and he handed it back with a thin receipt.

“Coming right up, thanks for your business.” He thanked him, but Kylo could only offer him a weak smile in return.

“I swear I told Armitage to pay this down,” He stammered, tucking the card back into his wallet and sticking it in his back pocket. “Christmas is coming and I wanted all of the cards paid down so I could do some shopping. I’ll have to ask him about it later.” He seemed to be rather distressed, but the only thing you could focus on was the fact that he mentioned ‘cards.’ You got the idea from his first phrase that the first card he had tried to pay with was a credit card that had been run to its limit, but apparently he had multiple cards that had been run to their limits as well. That seemed troubling to you. But, then again, you were also paid fairly for your first week of work, so many it wasn’t as big of a deal as you thought. You stood there next to Kylo as he seemed to ponder the reason why his cards were run so high, not paying attention to him while you watched the crepes be cooked, and after five minutes or so the chef returned with his hands full of goodies.

“Mr. Solo!” He said, pulling Kylo’s attention from the street in front of him to the counter. “Order’s ready.” 

“Thanks, Kirby,” Kylo said as he took the two crepes from him. They were housed in plastic with a bright green cardboard insert, and sat inside of two white cups to keep them upright. You could smell the chipotle sauce from Kylo’s crepe as soon as it came from over the counter, and yours wasn’t too far behind.

“And for you, first time customer,” He said as he picked your cup up and handed it to you. “I had Alex back there make it special.” He winked at you, and you happily accepted your sweet treat from him.

“Oh, I can’t wait to try it!” You peered down into the cup and saw the fruity pebble covered rainbow whipped cream, and underneath of it sat a bouquet of colorful fruits. You could see blueberries, blackberries, mango slices, and pistachio cream, and the entire thing almost looked too beautiful to eat. 

“Ready to head home, then?” Kylo said as he expertly balanced his two crepes in his hands.

“Absolutely,” You answered him. Kylo had given you such a fun and exciting afternoon, and you couldn’t wait to dig into this pastry when you got home. 

The entire way back to the car Kylo was quiet, shifting through his phone from time to time more than likely investigating his credit card dilemma. You tried to be upbeat and happy for him, letting him know once you got back to his car that you had such a fun afternoon with him and you’d definitely be coming back, but the only thing you got from him was an uninterested ‘that’s good’ before the conversation was over. Being nosy, you stared at his phone that he balanced on his thigh while turning on his car and could see that Hux had sent him a massive wall of text, but you were too far away to see what he was saying. Kylo let out a sigh, put his phone to rest and set it down on the center console next to his two crepes.

“Not gonna eat your crepe?” He asked, looking to his side mirror in order to make sure no one was coming so it was safe to pull out onto the road. 

“When I get home. Wouldn’t want to make a huge rainbow sprinkly mess in your car,” You smiled up at him, but he didn’t even look back at you. It was true, though. You could tell from day one that Kylo took great care of himself and his belongings, and you’d feel bad if you messed up the expensive interior of his car. You were perfectly happy with riding silently next to him, clutching your crepe carefully in your lap the entire ride home. The silence was painfully awkward, but you knew Kylo was agitated and you didn’t want to bother him. It was kind of funny to think that the two of you went to the park while you were in bad shape, but upon leaving you were now in good spirits while Kylo was down. You chose not to dwell on it too much. Instead, while you walked quietly through the halls behind him, you took solace in the fact that Kylo was a trustworthy man that made good on his promises and seemed to genuinely care about your wellbeing. He deserved whatever time alone he needed, and as the two of you parted ways at the doors of your apartments, you hoped whatever predicament he was in would sort itself out quickly. 

Inside you dropped your purse on the counter and immediately went to the couch. Slowly you peeled the plastic away from your crepe and maneuvered it up through the cardboard where you could take a big, juicy bite. You closed your eyes, lifted the crepe to your mouth and bit down onto it. Your tastebuds began to sing as the sweet, natural sugary juices began to flow onto your tongue. It was everything you didn’t know you needed at the moment, and it made you incredibly joyous. Today had been so great, and you couldn’t wait to see what kind of friendship would blossom between you and Kylo.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm running out of chapters to keep up with my regular schedule. I thought I could keep up twice a week with how many I had written up, but so much has happened in my personal life I fell really far behind in my writing. I've made the decision to just post on Mondays until further notice. Sorry everyone :(   
> Potential spoiler for this chapter as it also acts as a content warning:  
> .  
> ..  
> ...  
> ..  
> .  
> Cheating is discovered in this chapter. This does not occur between reader and Kylo.

Halloween came up at the end of your second week working for the Solos, and you made sure you were prepared. Hannah had mentioned to you that all of the kids in the building always came around, which isn’t a whole lot but she always made sure to have candy on hand for them. So during their weekly grocery trip run you were sure to buy a large bag of prepackaged candy for yourself as well. The college dorms never saw trick or treaters, so you were excited to have some for the first time in years. In fact, the excitement of having a place all to your own, no roommates or parents to intrude, inspired you to go all out for the fall decorations. Three days before Halloween Hannah sent you out to the local Target to get some candles for her home, and you made a list of what you’d come back later on for to decorate your home. Once you had gotten back there at 7 pm that same night you filled your cart with everything you had been keeping your eye on, and then some. You walked away from Target paying $102 for everything you thought you’d need to decorate your home, and you hurried back so you could begin decorating

Fall had always been your favorite time of the year. The reds, oranges, and yellows that existed all around you put you in such a great mood, so that’s how you decorated your home. Decorative pillows sat on your couch. Little wooden scarecrows with adorable red cheeks and large stitched smiles sat holding pumpkins on your entertainment center. Pumpkins of all colors, shapes, and sizes lined the floors, counter tops, and other surfaces of your home, and you even bought a big colorful wreath to hang on your door. Jelly ghosts, black cats, orange pumpkins, and leaf decals stuck to your balcony door, and your favorite piece was a pumpkin patch sign that you decided to hang over your bed. You took a step back and admired all of your decorations that you got to hang on your walls over your bed. It was  _ yours,  _ and you loved every part of it.

Along with other little trinkets and Halloween themed decorations you also picked up a sleek black dress, some green and black striped tights, and a witch hat. No, you weren’t planning on going trick or treating, but how much fun would it be for the kids to receive candy from a witch? You tried your new outfit on the next morning, and as you twisted and turned in the mirror you got a text from your boss. You walked over to the bed where your phone sat amongst your bedsheets and pulled up his conversation, happy to see that it wasn’t a request for you to go out and buy something for him, but an invitation instead:

_ “Would you two like to go out to Limberg’s for dinner tonight? Hannah and I would like to treat you all.” _

You smiled, grew excited at the thought of having another dinner with the Solos. Especially since Armitage had been added to the conversation as well. You hadn’t seen or heard from him since the day you moved in, so you were excited to speak with him again. You got to typing up a reply, and you couldn’t hold back your elation:

_ “I would love to! Never heard of Limberg’s but I’m sure if you’re offering it will be good. _

The response from Kylo was almost instantaneous, which was probably because yours was fast as well.

_ “They’ve got the best burgers. Is six okay?” _

For you, six wasn’t soon enough. You were happy for Kylo to take you all over town to eat the finest food Atlanta had to offer, but you knew you had to be cordial.

“ _ Six definitely works for me. I’ll see you guys then!”  _

It wasn’t too long before Hux chimed into the conversation, agreeing with everyone that six was a great time and he’d see all of you then. You were excited to try something new, and you had to admit that burgers were among your favorite foods. You moved to your closet where you began to undress. Surely the Solos wouldn’t need you if they were preparing to take you out to dinner. Your number one goal became to find the perfect outfit to go to dinner in, because you were prepared to have a great time. 

Come six o'clock you were sitting outside of Limberg’s Burger House and Bar. It was pretty empty given the fact that it was a weeknight, which was even better because you weren't a fan of crowds. You found Kylo’s Tesla quickly and backed your car in next to it. It was so exciting to think you’d be spending more time with your bosses, especially eating some great food. You stared at the bright red neon sign and watched as the satisfied customers ate from the other side of the glass in the dining room; your car’s clock read 5:58 and you didn’t want to be early, but you decided if Kylo was here already that meant you could go in too. You collected up your purse and walked out into the setting six o'clock sun, determined to step out of your comfort zone and try something brand new. The food that the city had offered you was incredible, but you hadn’t tried an Atlanta burger yet.

Kylo’s black hair and awkward large frame were easy to spot in the waiting area. His knees stuck out way past everyone else's and no one else had Kylo’s unique mop of hair. He was leaning over his lap with his phone in one hand and his fingers on his other scrolling up and down. You began to make your way over to him and when he lifted his face to you, you noticed something important was missing.

“Clover, glad you made it!” He said with a welcoming smile.

“Wouldn’t have missed it for anything,” You said, smoothing your shirt and sitting down at the booth next to him. “Where are Hannah and Armitage?” Kylo took a breath at your question. His smile faded as he looked back down to his phone, and you began to worry for him.

“One of Han’s friends had an emergency as we were leaving. She said she’d still try to make it but I told her not to worry about it,” He said. The forced smile he put on broke your heart. Trying to fake his happiness while a friend of his wife’s was in trouble wasn’t healthy, and you certainly didn’t want him to be here if Hannah needed him to be with her.

“Oh dear, I’m so sorry to hear that,” You said, but the only reaction you got was a sad shake of his head. “If you need to be with Hannah, I don’t mind canceling.” Kylo stuck his hand up to silence you, shook his head once again and shimmed his phone into his side pocket.

“Not at all. Hannah told me she wanted all of us to have dinner without her. We’re still waiting on Armitage anyway,” He said solemnly. Even though you knew this is one of your negative traits, you opened your mouth to assure him that you didn’t need to eat with him tonight if he felt like he didn’t want to. Kylo was a man who was always firm in his decisions, and if he said he still wanted to eat that meant he still wanted to eat. You, on the other hand, still felt bad. You took a breath, about to explain again you didn’t mind calling it off, but just as you did a hostess came from around the podium with three thick plastic menus in her hand.

“Ren, party of three?" Her thunderous voice echoed all throughout the waiting area. There would be no mistaking that the table would be for you. 

"That's us," Kylo muttered under his breath, standing and, without waiting for you to follow suit, began walking toward the dining room. You scrambled to your feet after him. Clearly you were going to dine with Kylo and Hux whether you wanted to or not, and that was okay. Kylo walked right up to the girl and they simply stared at each other until the girl finally spoke up:

"Hi, Mr. Ren?" She asked. Before answering her Kylo quickly fished for his phone. 

"Yes that's us," His eyebrows knit down as he spoke without looking at her. 

"Party of three?" She asked for clarification all while you stood on the sidelines. You started at her for a while, then grew suspicious of the fact that Kylo hadn't said anything. Maybe he was waiting on you to answer, like you had randomly invited someone on your outing and he was waiting on you to confirm. You looked at him to see if your suspicions were true only to find that Kylo had been staring at his phone looking severely disappointed. 

"Make that a party of two." He whispered. He sounded so let down as he put his phone away, and so were you. The hostess set one of the menus down on the podium, then turned and began to walk into the dining room. Kylo followed her, and by default you followed him. This dinner with three of your colleagues had changed so much, but what could you do about it other than enjoy a meal with your boss?

“So, that’s why I’m torn about attending this party,” Kylo chewed his food while explaining to you in great detail his conundrum about this Halloween party he had been invited to. Crumbs from the bun of his  _ House of Limberg  _ burger stuck to his pale pink lips, and he smacked them loudly in order to finish and quickly get back to his longwinded explanation. You stared at him, trying not to be visibly bothered by the gross noises he was making all while trying to make sense of what he had told you. The party sounded like it was important to him. Why didn’t he want to go? “I mean, as you can see Hannah and I haven’t spent a whole lot of time with each other recently, and Halloween is her favorite holiday. We’ve done matching costumes for the kids every year. I’d just feel so bad if I missed it.” He further explained between bites and hiccups. You nodded your head and thought about his conundrum logically while looking down at your own food.  _ The Big A Burger.  _ It was far more delicious than what you thought, but your thoughts were currently with Kylo.

“But, maybe she’d understand?” You finally spoke up. “You said so yourself. The other attendees are actors that you’ve worked with. It would be like a networking thing, right?” You took your massive burger into your hands and lifted it to your mouth, eagerly waiting for his reply. You were always up to helping your friends work out their problems as long as you weren’t too drained in the process, and this issue Kylo had was no different.

“Well, the thing is is I’ve already asked her and she’s totally fine with me going,” He continued, only pausing to shove another steak cut fry into his mouth and chew it up loudly. You ground your teeth together. Table manners. Hadn't anyone ever taught him table manners? “I just, I don’t know if it’s the right thing for me to do. I want to be with my wife, but at the same time acting brings in the money, so…” He lifted his drink to his lips and took a sip, looking at you with his needy eyes. It sounded like all he needed was validation, which you felt he deserved for being so concerned about his wife.

“I feel like you should just do what you feel is right,” You said as you placed your burger back down and went for one of your fries. “I mean, Hannah will always be around, but how often do you get to hang out with other actors on the roof of your own building?” Kylo raised his brows to you, reached for the white cloth napkin and lightly dragged it across his lips. He seemed to be pondering your words carefully, making a decision in his mind.

“I guess the best way to look at is like it’s nothing but work,” He said, sounding defeated. He leaned back in his chair and ran his hands down his black shirt, then looked up at you with a glimmer in his eye. “I can attend and still wish I was home with Hannah.” It seemed to be the resolution he was looking for, and since he was happy with his decision you were happy too.

“That sounds like a good way to think about it,” You praised him, but the next thing that came from his mouth seemed to place both of you right back at square one.

“I’ll ask Han about it one more time before Saturday, just to be sure,” Just as he finished speaking your waiter came around with another pitcher of Coke to fill up your glasses, and Kylo asked him for the check. “I’d hate for her to be lonely on her favorite holiday.” He explained. You agreed with him. Hannah had kept her distance from you, but you hated to think that she’d be alone on her favorite holiday too. You cared about Hannah just as much as you cared about Kylo, but you had a different outlook. If you were in his situation then you would definitely attend the party. It seemed like an invaluable experience that would definitely get him leads into his chosen career. You were passionate about family, but you felt that Hannah really would understand. It was like a once in a lifetime opportunity, and it would do him well. The waiter returned to the table and handed Kylo the small black binder, which housed the bill. As usual he wouldn’t let you see it, and instead simply put his black credit card inside. That was the end of the conversation, and the end of your group dinner turned to a private date with your boss. The only thing you walked away with was the hope that Kylo would do what he thought was right in regards to this gathering on the roof of the building, and that Hannah would encourage him to do the same.

You didn’t actually find out about Kylo’s Halloween plans until Halloween evening. At 4 pm Hannah sent you a text asking you to pick up some Halloween makeup from wherever you could. You had just finished setting up some decorations outside of your front door when the text came in, and you were happy to hear Hannah was feeling better. At least better enough to want to dress up a little bit and hand out candy to the trick or treaters. She specified that she wanted bright flashy colors as she planned on doing nothing more than painting her face up and handing out candy. That was perfectly fine for you, and you set out immediately. 

You checked the CVS just down the road first, but their Halloween selection was picked over pretty bad. Your next stop was Target, and even though their stock was well maintained the store itself was pretty packed. It took a while for you to find a clearing, but when you were finally able to make it to the face paint section you were able to grab a few tubes in every color they had for Hannah. There was every color of the rainbow except for purple, and you grabbed an extra tube of green for yourself. You figured you’d get some while you were here for yourself, just as an added bonus for your first Halloween outside of the house. You made your way back to the apartment and proudly knocked on the door only to be surprised when Kylo had answered it in his Darth Vader fleece pajamas. 

“Hi, Kylo!” You said as you tried to keep your composure. You weren’t expecting him to be here and dressed so casually; you were hoping that he would be getting ready for the rooftop party instead. 

“Hey, Clo. Got Hannah’s face paint?” He asked, and you handed the bag over without any hesitation.

“Yep, and I got some for myself. Gonna be like Elphaba Thropp!” You shared another laugh with Kylo and you bit back the urge to ask about the party going on upstairs. It wasn’t any of your business. 

“Well the trick or treaters should be around in the next hour or so,” He said, shifting on his feet and checking his watch. You checked yours as well and saw it was just after five pm. “They usually like to hit the inside of the building before going out into the neighborhoods, so just be ready to have some knocks on your door.” He warned. It only excited you more. You told Kylo that you couldn’t wait to see what Hannah did with her makeup, then retired to your own apartment. From there you got to work on your work of Halloween art.

It took forty minutes or so for you to get dressed and do your hair, but when it came to putting on the face paint you decided to go on the lighter side. You thought if you went all out with the green face you’d also have to color your hands, ears, and neck green. That was too much work, and even if you wanted to you probably didn’t have enough paint. So instead you decided to put two green four leaf clovers on your cheeks. You smiled at your reflection in the mirror, thought that your Halloween simply could not get any more perfect, and then there was a knock on the door. Your excitement could not be contained as you sprinted out into your entryway, leaned into your kitchen and grabbed your bowl of candy, then opened the door to greet the first of your trick or treaters.

An angel, a pink frosted donut, a dragon, Luke and Leia Skywalker, along with several other children knocked on your door that evening. It was such a joy seeing such happy children and their parents, and it was an even greater joy to see them knock on Kylo’s door to accept candy from them. The first time you stuck around for a little while extra and was pleased to see Hannah emerge from behind the door with a big blue bowl of candy.

She was stunning. Outfitted in a bright purple T shirt, her obsidian black hair cascading down her back and shoulders, and her fingernails painted an iridescent blue and purple color, she looked stunning. What was even more attractive was her tight fitting, shiny, purple and blue scaled pants. They sparkled in the light of the hallway, as did the intricately painted scales and glitter did on her face. There were vibrant violet fins painted on the sides of her eyes, and a blue sequined crown was painted on her forehead. To add to the look, she had applied ombre blue and purple matte lipstick to her lips. She was a sexy mermaid if you had ever seen one, and in that moment you understood why Kylo had decided not to go to the party upstairs. Hannah smiled politely at you as the first batch of kids walked away, then retreated pretty quickly back into her home. Obviously she didn’t want to talk to you, and that was okay. You had come to recognize this as Hannah’s normal behavior and had stopped taking it to heart a long time ago. You ambled back inside of your home as well to await the next group of children that would come knocking at your door. Halloween was an exciting night yet again.

By nine pm the knocks on your door had fizzled out. You hadn’t seen Hannah answer the door the last few times trick or treaters came by, and you figured it was just about time to stop. The last trick or treater you decided to take was a little boy in a Minecraft Enderman costume. His mother brought him around, and her horrified reaction when he pointed at you and called you a “lucky witch” was priceless. You happily gave him the last of your candy, so much more than you had given the other kids, then decided to turn in the towel. You bid the child and his mother goodbye, then slunk back into your home. Your feet were hurting and you were getting tired, so you decided the best way to end your first successful Halloween on your own was to have a nice long bath. You locked your door and moved into your kitchen. You had splurged on a bottle of Oaked Chardonnay and planned on indulging in it during your bath. You poured yourself a glass and headed toward your master bathroom, ran the water as hot as you were comfortable with. Standing in front of the sink with a makeup wipe in hand you made the move to began rubbing the green clovers off of your cheeks, but stopped abruptly when your phone vibrated on the bathroom counter. You leaned over and weren’t surprised to see that it was Kylo, texting you a late night request:

_ “Hey Clo. Do you think you could grab me some Tylenol from the CVS down the road? We just started drinking and can already feel a headache brewing." _

With the air around you beginning to warm, you snorted at him. To think the three of you both had the same idea at almost the exact same time; it was almost comical. Although you were looking forward to your bath, you felt like Kylo deserved to have his headache medication and your bath could wait. The CVS was only about a five minute walk anyway. It wouldn’t take too long. You shut off your bathwater and pulled the stopper from the drain. There would be plenty of time for a bath once you made sure Kylo and Hannah were set. On your way out you grabbed your witch hat from the couch and put it on your head. At least if you were still dressed up and people wouldn’t think you were odd for having just giant clovers painted on your face. You walked out into the night, passing many people still trick or treating or partying on your way to the CVS where you were in and out in less than five minutes. It was a relief to see that it had calmed down over the hours, and soon you were entering the elevator in the lobby of the apartment building, riding up to your floor and confidently knocking on Kylo’s door. Secretly you were hoping Hannah would answer the door so you could see her in her beautiful mermaid costume again. You wanted a picture that you could share with your mom and dad, but you figured Hannah would never allow that. You waited a few more seconds until Hannah finally answered the door. However, she was not dressed in her purple and blue costume.

The excited smile you always greeted the Solos with when you delivered their purchases went from bright and hopeful to instant regret as Hannah stepped into the view in nothing but a tight white towel. Your eyes went wide and a gasp escaped from your throat as you looked her up and down. Her cleavage and thighs were practically bursting from the towel, and the flimsy cloth left very little to the imagination. She had been in the middle of removing her makeup with a makeup wipe just as you had, and once she lowered the wipe and saw that it was you standing in front of her a look of what could only be disgust flashed across her face.

“What are you doing here?!” She exclaimed, and you took a cautionary step back. You immediately went into defensive mode as you felt Hannah was about to attack you, but you didn’t know why she would be so angry at you. Your mouth opened, but you had no words. You just stood there and watched as Hannah’s face contorted from shock to anger. You held up the bag to hand it to her, but before you could say anything yet another bombshell came from walking around the corner. 

“Is that the pizza Han?” The voice and accent was so  _ painfully  _ familiar. So much so that you almost wanted to turn around and run away because never in a million years did you think this would be happening. Cinder blocks formed around your feet and you watched in horror as none other than Armitage Hux walked around the corner. “Here, I’ve got the tip. How much--” Another gasp formed on top of the breath you had been holding from the last. You couldn’t help but to eye Hux up and down as he was dressed in nothing but a tight fitting towel too. You could see everything he had to offer from the waist down, and it was the most soul crushing thing ever. Hux lifted his eyes to you, but you hardly got to see his reaction before the door was slammed in your face. You jumped, stumbled back nearly into your own door as you numbly took in everything you just saw. Nothing you had experienced while living in Atlanta had ever been so gut wrenching, so devastating. Hannah and Hux? Really? This entire time? You placed your hand over your heart and felt a lump forming in your throat. Why did it hurt? Why did it upset you so much that you just caught Hannah and Hux together? A vibration in your back pocket stole your attention, and checking your phone you realized why you were so affected by what you had just witnessed:

_ “Sorry. Forgot to tell you I took your advice and went to the party on the roof. Han understood and said she was just gonna cath up on some rest. Thanks again. See you in a few!” _

Your hands began to shake and your eyes began to well. Kylo was  _ so  _ dedicated to his wife, to his marriage, to the woman he loved. He left the house to go to the party because he thought it was what Hannah wanted, but Hannah wanted him out of the house to go behind his back with his own agent. Your phone fell to the floor as your hands went sweaty and the first of many tears slipped down your cheek. This was wrong. 

This was terribly, terribly wrong.


	11. Chapter 11

Kylo Ren was your friend. Nothing more, and nothing less.

Over the last two weeks you had bonded with him, laughed with him, worked with him, and you found that he was truly an amazing man. His personality was fun and laid back, he always made sure you were okay before sending you out, made sure you had everything you needed at any given time, and the most admirable part of him, you thought, was the fact that he, just like you, was 100 percent dedicated to his family. The love he bled for his wife made your heart melt. The way he’d hold her. Kiss her. Whisper in her ear. And she’d accept him. Giggle with him. Lean into his body. It was all an act. Her loving gestures were never genuine. Your friend was putting his all into his marriage only for it to turn out to be a complete sham. 

You stood there for what seemed like ages, staring at the shiny golden 604 on the front of his door. You weren’t sure what you were waiting for. Hannah to come barreling out to strangle you, or Hux trying to slip away. Wasn’t something supposed to happen?

Was it even real at all?

You blinked, flinched at the memory of Hux coming from around the corner with an obvious erection from under the towel. It was real. Your eyes had not deceived you. You had just seen something you probably should not have, and you had to get away. In an instant you swooped down and took your phone in your hand. Without waiting another moment you turned and began running toward the staircase, and you threw the door open and began to climb the stairs as quickly as you could. The elevator would have been easier, but you didn’t think you could sit still long enough to get to the top floor. Your heart rate was through the roof and your eyes were blurred with tears, and you had no other desire but to run. The physical pain you were putting your body in numbed the mental strain you were currently under, and it was the distraction you needed. You werne't sure where you were going. All you knew was that you were going.

You had lost track of how many flights you had gone up, but at some point you could no longer move. Your chest was on fire as you leaned against the wall heaving, huffing, and puffing. Your legs hurt, your eyes were sore and you found that you couldn’t move at all. You sat against the wall, placed your palms along your sweaty forehead and just stood there. You couldn’t get the image of Hannah standing there in a towel. She had been  _ cheating  _ on Kylo, breaking your friend’s trust and he didn’t even know it. When the physical pain began to wear off, the emotional pain took over and tears once again took over your vision. You had no idea what you were supposed to do. Do you tell him? Do you keep it to yourself? Do you confront Hux and Hannah about it and go from there? All three options were viable, but your mind was racing so fast you couldn’t decide. Kyo deserved to know, but what would happen if he found out? What would happen to him, to Hannah, to Hux?”

What would happen to  _ you? _

Hannah didn’t seem to like you. No doubt finding out her secret had decreased your relationship with her, but what would that mean? Would you lose your job? Would she try and harm you? The thoughts didn’t help you at all, and soon you felt yourself shaking in horror again. You stepped away from the wall and saw you had ran from the sixth floor to the tenth. You had ten more floors to go and you definitely weren’t feeling up to running. You took a breath, tried to compose yourself before sluggishly forcing your feet to the doorway. You had to take the elevator the rest of the way. Even if it made you feel alone and made your mind race. Your body simply could not take running up another flight of stairs. 

You reached the elevator and luckily found it to be empty when it arrived. You dragged yourself in and reluctantly hit the button for the 20th floor. The instant it started rising you felt yourself panicking. What would you say to Kylo once you met him? How were you supposed to be calm when you had worked up a sweat and tears? The only sounds around you were the rumbling and mechanical noise of the elevator, and it did nothing to help your torrential thoughts. You couldn’t tell him. Not today at least when your emotions were running so high. You closed your eyes and tried to compose yourself. You couldn’t help but to wonder if you were overreacting or not. 

Kylo wasn’t your husband, and you weren’t married to either him or Hannah. Was it really okay for you to be so upset over this? You twiddled your thumbs as you thought long and hard about this. Your father always had a saying about situations like this:  _ Not your circus, not your monkeys.  _ He said it to mean you should mind your own business and not get involved in other people’s drama. This seemed like a good enough situation to apply your dad’s words of wisdom, but you found that you couldn’t let it go. Not in time for you to reach the top floor, anyway. The elevator dinged, the doors opened and revealed a small, well lit sitting area in front of two wide glass double doors. The pit grew in your stomach as you took in the sights of the pool and jacuzzi outside as well as all the other people mingling about and having fun. Kylo Ren was your friend, and you were disgusted for him, but you knew it was best for you not to get wrapped up in his wife’s drama. You willed your feet to move, and the closer you got to the glass door the more you could feel yourself already falling apart. You could see Kylo sitting at the bar from miles away and he stuck out like a sore thumb. While everyone else had blonde or brown hair, his black hair and taller height made him that much more noticeable. You frantically swallowed the growing lump in your throat as you pushed the door open, and instantly all eyes were on you. The cool air cascaded along your warmed skin and sent a chill running down your spine, especially when Kylo turned and locked eyes with you.

The bright, excited smile that spread across his face before turning around and telling the bartender something hurt you more than you were expecting. Here he was enjoying himself without a care in the world, and he had no idea that he was being cheated on just 14 floors below him. You stood still at the door and watched as he fell from the barstool and began walking toward you, unable to smile or wave or anything. It seemed like he was walking in slow motion and everything else around him was quiet when it had been bustling up here when you first walked in. Your mind was blank. Your body was numb. Before you knew it he was standing right in front of you, a pleased grin adorning his face and everything. 

“Hey, you found me,” He said confidently. “How do you like the costume? Han wanted to be a mermaid so I’m  _ King Triton.  _ We did this a few years back so I had all the pieces already!” His voice dropped several octaves to stress his costume, but it had no effect on you. You looked him up and down, at his shirtless chest and deep blue swimming trunks. He even had a plastic golden trident in his hand, one that you completely missed on his way over to you. You gripped the bag in your shaky hands, realized a moment too late that you had to say something to him. His eyes knit down as a look of concern washed over his face, and before you could force your arm to hand over his medication he was already questioning you about what was going on.

“You okay, kid? You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Your lower lip quivered as you tried desperately to come up with an explanation, but instead found yourself flinching as he placed a gentle finger on your cheek and swiped it across your face for half a second. “Did you run all the way here from CVS and work up this much of a sweat? Geeze, Clo. You’ve really gone above and beyond for me.” He forced a giggle from his throat as he took a look at the green paint on his finger, but you could only shake your head. You wanted to tell him the truth, but you couldn’t. This was a public place, and there were so many people around. That would embarrass him more than anything, and you were still afraid of the retaliation you might get from Hannah. You couldn’t do it now. For now, you just have to get away from him.

“It’s, it’s nothing, really,” You consoled him, then felt relieved as his face softened. “I’m just not feeling too well. And, and my family issues, you know, never let up. I just want to rest.” Kylo took the bag from your hand and turned it about, not removing his gaze from you at all. You took a step away from him, ready to dash all the way back to your home but stopped as Kylo called out your name. You lifted your eyes to his and were pained to think that he could see right through you. Maybe he knew you were lying. Maybe he had known all along that his wife was cheating on him. 

Maybe he hated you.

Your mind had officially traveled too far, and you were on the verge of panicking yet again. You took another step back and found yourself pressed up against the door. You just wanted to lay down and sleep off this headache of an evening. 

“Alright, Clo,” Kylo said with a sigh. “You go home and get some rest. Let me know how you’re doing in the morning.” With a nod of your head you instantly turned and began to nearly sprint to the elevator. But the time you got there and pressed the button to call it you were mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausted. The elevator couldn’t make it to you fast enough, and when the doors finally opened you threw yourself into the empty space and slouched against the back wall. It didn’t move at all without you pressing the button, and you took the time to sit there and simply stare at the silver doors in front of you. You had no more tears to cry, no more feelings to feel. As you stood there you were simply numb and void. You had no plan. You had no energy for anything but going to sleep, and with that final thought you mustered up the strength to press the 6th button. The best thing to do would be to get as much sleep as you could and come up with a plan in the morning when your head was clearer. The elevator began to descend, and you closed your eyes. The most you could do right now was try and enjoy the ride and walk back home, and that was all you planned to do. 

After taking three melatonins and turning over in your bed several times, you were finally able to rest. It didn’t seem like you had gotten a whole lot, as when you pried your eyes open in the morning you could have sworn you had just closed them. You turned your head and looked over at your curtains, which did a good job at hiding the sunrise but you could still see the golden rays peeking from around the dark blue curtain. You had to get up. You had to text Kylo, and you had to figure out how you would proceed from here. With a grunt you rolled over onto your side and reached for your phone. You were ready to text him to let him know that you thought you had the stomach flu, but when you picked up your phone you were happy to see that Kylo had beaten you to it:

_ “Hey kid. I hope you’re feeling okay. I’m sorry your family isn’t behaving, and I hope things brighten up. Why don’t you take the day off today? I’m negotiating a role and won’t be home till the evening anyway. I’ll let Hannah know.” _

You smiled at your phone, the first genuine smile you had in an entire day. Kylo was simply too sweet and your lucky birthmark had led you to the perfect job opportunity. Starting your day with a quick thank you to Kylo would be positive enough, and you decided you’d get yourself out of bed and make a healthy breakfast to continue your day. Self care was the most important thing to you at the moment. You could worry about the commotion that was going on in the Solo household later. Your physical and mental health was more important. With that thought in mind, you began typing out a response to Kylo, only to be stopped in your tracks when another text from the last person you wanted to talk to appeared at the top of your phone. It was Hannah, and her message was so short that you didn’t even have to switch to her conversation to see what she said:

_ “Hi hunny. Will you pop over for a second so we can talk?” _

You closed your eyes as any and all positivity immediately fell off of your shoulders. Her message disappeared from the top of your phone, but you decided that it couldn’t go unreplied to. You had no intention of going and seeing Hannah today, or tomorrow, or any time soon, so you backed out of Kylo’s conversation and switched to Hannah’s. You wanted to reject her as soon as possible in order to get on with your day, so you began to type out your response to her:

_ “Morning Hannah. I’m not feeling well and Kylo gave me the day off. I’m going to be resting in bed so I can’t come talk with you.” _

Satisfied with your reply, you switched back to Kylo’s conversation and finished off your thank you message. As you were expecting, Hannah responded right away and it wasn't what you were expecting t osee.

“ _ Won’t take long, and it’s important. I need you over here now.” _

You sighed, knew there was no getting out of this. You hated that you were so passive, but knew deep down that this time would be coming. You knew at some point Hannah would have to beg you to keep her secret for her. You were just hoping to have some time to process everything before hand. With a headache brewing in your mind you lifted yourself from the bed and moved to your closet where you threw together a simple outfit to go have this difficult conversation in. There was no use putting it off. Your stomach began to flip as your nerves took over your body, and before you knew it you were standing in front of the Solo’s door and knocking. You were deadened as you waited for Hannah to answer, and when she finally did with the same vile smile she answered with last night you instantly went cold and desolate.

“Hi there, sweetie,” She cooed, coddling you like a child as she stepped aside to let you in. “Come on, let’s go talk in the bedroom.” She cut to the chase right away, and you were still just as nervous. You would even argue that this was the nicest she had ever been to you. You gulped as you made your way down the hall to the Solo’s bedroom, casting a nervous look over your shoulder as Hannah followed close behind you. She shot you another overly happy grin that left you feeling incredibly unsettled, especially when you rounded the corner into their bedroom and laid eyes on the second last person you wanted to see in the room with you.

“Hux, of course.” You moaned as you closed your eyes tight to try to keep away your tears. You felt Hannah slip past you and when you opened your eyes the two of them were standing next to each other. It made you sick to see Hux with his arm protectively around Hannah, as if she wasn’t married and they were a happy couple defending their forbidden relationship. Was that was this was after all? A way for them to defend their relationship from you?

“I know, you’re not excited to see me, Clover,” Hux spoke, leaning down and kissing Hannah on her temple. “But we need to talk about what you saw last night. Depending on how this is handled, there could be a lot of fallout. Hannah and I just want to make sure everything is smooth between us.” Hux rubbed his hand up and down Hannah’s arm and she cuddled into him. The tension in the air was so thick it could be cut with a knife, and when no one was speaking you could hear your heart drumming in your chest. This was them defending their little secret relationship. You didn’t even need to read too much further into the conversation to know that Hux and Hannah were about to threaten you to keep quiet. 

“We don’t mind you knowing, and I know it probably shocked you dear, but, as I’m sure you already know, this needs to stay between the three of us.” Hannah spoke up. As she spoke the room seemed to go darker. The thick plush curtains were drawn and the light in the master bathroom was out, drenching the three of you in an eerie darkness. Upon finishing her speech you looked behind them and saw that the sheets were disheveled, and you twitched thinking they had just had sex before summoning you. Kylo was at work trying to make more money to support Hannah and pay both you and Hux, and here they both were completely breaking his trust.  _ We don’t mind you knowing.  _ That would imply that you were a consenting party in this fiasco, which you weren’t. You took a step toward the door, prepared to simply run and never have to deal with it ever again, but Hannah cut you off quickly.

“Wait, don’t leave yet,” She said in a scorching tone. You stopped, looked her in the eye as her other hand came up onto Hux’s chest. This was a joke. It had to have been a joke. “We wanted to give you a small  _ incentive  _ for keeping our secret.” Her hand began to drop lower and lower as she let out an almost inaudible moan. Hux let out a chuckle and you forced your eyes to follow the path of her hand. You were frozen in fear and the only thing that could get you to snap out of it was biting down on your tongue. Again, this interaction was not going the way you expected it to at all.

“Armitage has a pretty big appetite, if you know what I mean,” She teased. She finally made it down to his crotch where she began rubbing him, and this time you actually felt like you were going to vomit in the middle of their bedroom. “We could let you in on our fun if that means you’ll keep your mouth shut. I’ll even sit it out and pretend like I don’t know anything, if that’s--” She started to say as she fumbled with his zipper. You, on the other hand, were done with the conversation. Unapologetically, you turned and stormed your way out of their bedroom and into their hallway, down into their living room and toward the door. You didn’t have to stand for this, and it was borderline sexual assault. You could hear Hannah running after you, and once you reached the door you decided that you’d tell her off. You were angry for both you and Kylo, and you decided you couldn’t hold back any longer. You turned around and pointed at her, raised your voice as you prepared your last minute speech. Once she stopped talking you laid it on her.

“Look, I’ll keep your stupid ass secret for you and for Hux,” You said, summoning all of the rage that had been swirling around in your body since last night. “But never,  _ ever  _ include me in any of your bullshit cheating ever again. I need this job and the experience, so I won’t tell Kylo, but I want you to know that I think you are  _ disgusting  _ human trash, and you should be ashamed of yourself!” It was satisfying to see her eyes bugging out of her head and her face turn pale at your words. It was like a huge weight was lifted off of your shoulders, and to add insult to injury you slammed her door as you left.

You angrily returned to your home where you leaned against the door to try and cool off. You were sweating, your throat was hurting, and even though you had finally gotten your woes off of your shoulders in one of the most violent ways you could think of, you were still feeling awful about everything. In your mind, you were a traitor to someone who was now your only friend in Georgia. You fought off the urge to cry as you spontaneously decided that what you needed was a long talk with your mother and father. You lifted your phone to pull up your mother’s number in your contacts when, as if right on cue, a message from Hannah came in:

_ “You ever talk to me like that again and we’re going to have more problems than we do now. If Ben finds out it’s going to be your head.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The term "not my circus, not my monkeys" came from my good friend @The_British_American_Girls (Sarah). She is an amazing friend with amazing words of wisdom, and I couldn't think of a better phrase to use in Clover's situation lol.


	12. Chapter 12

Just an hour later you found yourself crouched down against the massive window, sobbing so hard that you could barely find time to breathe between jabbering away to your mother about everything that had transpired over the last two days. You went through every excruciating detail, from the time that you had considered Kylo a friend, to the discovery of Hannah’s secret, to the fact that Hannah had both attempted to sexually assault you and threatened to kill you. Instantly you were thrown into another panic, and decided the only thing that could calm you was your mother. As you finally brought your speech to a close you took in another deep breath and let out a few more sobs, wiping your eyes with your arm and staring down at the wooden planks beneath you. Behind you the cold from the window shocked you, but you were convinced it was the only thing grounding you at the moment so you pressed yourself harder against the window and waited for your mother’s reaction.

“Oh, Clover,” Your mother signed heavily. Clearly she was just as devastated as you were, and you knew she would be among the only people that would understand you and your feelings toward this matter. “Baby, I’m so sorry. Obviously you care about your boss so much. This is just devastating.” You had finally calmed yourself down enough to have a clear conversation with your mother, and you decided then and there while you weren’t crying to hurl your most important question to her. 

“Mama, I don’t know what to do. What do I do?” Your options seemed limited, but you still couldn’t think straight enough to just decide. You just wanted your mother to tell you, to answer all of your questions like a fortune teller. What was best for you? What was best for Kylo? What kind of punishment did Hannah and Hux deserve? It was all so overwhelming, and you needed your mother’s guidance.

“Well, honey, I would think the right thing to do would be to tell your boss,” Your lower lip quivered and you fought against the urge to cry even more. You had known that was the right thing to do; you were just too afraid to do it. “But, but I know how badly you wanted this job and how much you’re enjoying it. I think you have every right to be afraid of Hannah, and I honestly think Kylo deserves to know. She’s threatening his employees, and from what you’ve told me he cares a lot for your health and safety too.” She sounded so sure of herself, and it did make you feel better. However, you still had your objections.

“But, mom, I, I’m scared.” You said as you bunched your shirt into your hand. You tried so hard to hang onto your tears. You had to keep it together if you were going to get through this, and you were determined to reach some kind of resolution with your mother today. 

“I know, baby, I know,” She cooed. Knowing your mother you knew she was hurting and wanted nothing more than to hug you, and you wished she could have been around to hold you too. “She doesn’t have a right to threaten you like that. I think you need to say something.” You sat all the way up, ran your hand down your face and moaned in frustration. Your mother was right. This couldn’t go on. 

“How do I tell him?” You asked her, nearly begging for answers. She was, perhaps, the only other person you trusted with his information because she had no way of going behind your back and telling Kylo anyway. Sure you had your old friends from highschool and beyond on Facebook you could go to, but after living back at home for two years and then moving out of state you could say you had no real  _ close  _ friends you could confide in. At the moment, all you had was your mom, and you knew you were safe to pester her about it until you came to some kind of conclusion.

“Telling him face to face would be too hard, I know that, Clo. Why don’t you try to text him, or writing him a letter? Something formal where you wouldn’t have to be around for the aftermath?” She offered. You blinked as that sounded reasonable to you, but even still you were so nervous. 

“That sounds easy, but I’m still afraid for my job, mom.” You continued to press your fears only to be met with an ominous silence on the other end of the line. Your mother sighed frustratingly, but you recognized this as a sign of defeat. She likely had no experience with something like this, so she didn’t know what to tell you. It wasn’t what you wanted to hear, and you could feel your resolution slipping from your fingers.

“I know, baby, but there will be plenty of other jobs,” She started in a somber tone. However, she quickly became optimistic with her following line. “But you have experience now. I mean, you can stretch the numbers and say you worked with a celebrity for a month instead of two weeks. No one has to know. I, I mean I still don’t think Kylo would fire you if you came to him with your concerns, but at least if he does you still have other options.” 

“Yeah.” You said, completely devoid of all emotion. Your mother had a point, and by all means you agreed with her. You needed to tell Kylo, if not for the fact that his wife had threatened you. You were still scared, but your mother had made it seem like it was a completely normal reaction. It was what you needed, and getting the issue off of your chest felt like the weight of the world had been lifted from your shoulders. 

“Listen, you don’t have to do it today. Why don’t you give it a few days? You never know. Maybe the universe will align tomorrow and Kylo will discover it on his own.” Your mother chuckled at you, but it hardly made you feel any better.

“I hope so,” You whispered before sniffing and wiping your arm across your eyes. “Thank you, mom. So much. I miss you.” You added quickly. She deserved to hear how much you appreciated her during this time.

“Oh, you’re welcome baby. I love you,” The remainder of her love resonated in your soul, warming you and putting you at ease. “Don’t forget, you’re always welcome to come home, Clo. Just say the word and Daddy and I will make sure that we’re home to welcome you.” A smile broke over your face. You hadn’t thought about going back home, but it was comforting to know that there would always be a place for you. With tears in your eyes you said your emotional goodbyes to your mother and then hung up the phone. You sat for a moment simply staring into the void of your living room, then decided to swivel around to stare out into the Atlanta skyline. You would have to tell Kylo, but you would tell him when you were ready. You were enjoying your job and never wanted it to end, but perhaps your mom was right. Kylo enjoyed having you work for him, and if you outed his wife’s secret maybe he wouldn’t let you go after all. You sighed, pulled your knees to your chest and fixated on a small airplane that flew across the city advertising the opening of a brand new bowling alley. The time would come when Hannah’s secret would be let out, but that time would not be now.

So you held her secret close to your heart for several days. Even when Kylo would ask you to run out and get them dinner from a nearby Indian restaurant, even when Hannah would text you to grab her a new razor to shave her legs, and even when you had to spend an uncomfortable amount of time with both of them as you brought in their weekly grocery haul. Your stomach churned as you watched Kylo wrap his arms around his beloved wife and kiss her on the cheek, and from over his shoulder Hannah glared at you. Before you could look away she flashed you an evil grin, kissed him on his neck and then winked at you like the two of you were friends and you were keeping a friendly secret for her. You shut your eyes, turned and walked away without even saying goodbye to Kylo. You couldn’t stand the fakeness, the deception, the adultery. It had only been five days since you walked in on Hannah and Hux, and now that your fear and sorrow over the occasion was beginning to turn into anger you felt like you were getting closer to the point where you could tell him what you had witnessed. It still racked your nerves to think about what could happen to you and everyone else involved, but the more you had to watch Hannah pretend like she loved Kylo, the more you knew it had to be done. 

The next day you lay in bed reading the same line in a book you recently picked up at Target over and over. It had been a good read so far; you had always been into cheesy romance novels and this one was no different. Man meets woman. Woman hates man at first, but later on they fall in love and live happily ever after. You loved it, but tonight you just couldn’t concentrate. When you woke up that morning you decided today would be the last day you’d keep Hannah’s secret, and first thing the next morning you’d text Kylo to tell him you needed to have a private meeting with him, and you’d tell on Hannah. You leafed to the next page and started the process of reading the same line over, thinking that if this were your relationship and one of your friends knew about this you’d want them to tell you. You sat there contented with your decision until your text tone went off beside you. Your phone was nestled next to your hip and you picked it up you were happy to see that Kylo had texted you. 

_ “I have a job for you. Will you swing by my house for a moment?” _

By all means, you were happy to see that it was Kylo and not Hannah that was bidding you to come over, but you weren’t happy to come over when you knew both Kylo and Hannah were home. Regardless, you were always happy to help Kylo out when he needed it, so you shot him a confirmation text back and then got up to go see what he needed. It was after five so you figured it must be important, and even though you were dressed in casual clothes, your leggings and orange cat T shirt still allowed you to look presentable in public. You calmly left your apartment and made your way to Kylo’s, knocked on the door, and waited patiently for him to answer. You wondered if he wanted you to grab him dinner, or maybe there was a late night document he needed you to grab for the part he was auditioning for. The explanations seemed so simple, but you realized they hardly made sense since he was having you come over to his home. Mid thought the door opened, and Kylo answered it with the most cheeky grin you had ever seen in your life.

“Clo, come on in,” He said as he stepped aside. The lighting in his apartment was dim and there was slow, sensual music playing in the background. It was as if you had stepped into what would be a steamy love scene in a romance movie. Very quickly, however, you were taken aback by the smell of Hannah’s cooking. Was that shrimp? Shrimp and garlic? Maybe he was inviting you over to dinner--which would be a disaster. You turned to look back at Kylo and noticed he was dressed nicely as well, and you decided to open up the conversation to get some answers from him. He was still smiling at you, and you could hear Hannah banging around in the kitchen behind you. You were all confused, and the only person that would give you answers was standing right in front of you.

“Are, are you going on a date?” You asked with a nervous giggle. Kylo chuckled in response, but before he could answer the was a knock at the door. He leaned back and stretched his long arms to open the door, and on the other side stood Hux. The look on his face as he took in the scene mirrored yours as the confusion hit him, and then Kylo finally let you in on what was going on.

“No, but you two are,” Kylo looked back as Hux entered. He obviously had not heard what Kylo said, because his only reaction was to look around the home of his lover, adjust his leather jacket, and ask what Hannah was cooking. You, on the other hand, knew your face had gone as red as a beet. 

“I, what?” You stammered as Hux got closer to you. 

“Hannah said to me the other day that the two of you are cute together, and I agreed, so she set up a date for you.” Beside you you could see Hux’s breath stop, and the two of you locked eyes for one horrifying moment. 

“Ben, you can’t be serious?” Hux cut in. His face drained white as Hannah stepped up behind you. You hadn’t even noticed that she wasn’t cooking until she placed a hand on your shoulder and spun you around. You were met with an eerily calm smile, yet you could see the malice in her eyes. You couldn’t hide your look of terror as she finished inside her dress pocket without breaking her gaze from yours, so much so that you almost missed Kylo’s explanation.

“Oh, come on Armitage. I know you haven’t been on a date in years,” Kylo started while leaving a manly slap on his back. “I’m not too sure of Clover’s history, but Han and I figured it would do you both good to have a night alone.” Kylo snickered. The first thing that came to your mind was to blurt out a lie about having a boyfriend, but you realized you had let that detail go on your first dinner with the Solo’s and Hux when they asked who you were leaving behind in Tennessee. Even if you had wanted to speak up you couldn’t, because before you knew it Hannah was swinging her arms around your neck and clasping something at your vertebrae. 

“Clo, I know we’re close friends now, and you know I entrust you with a lot…” She started. Her voice was poison dripping down your ear canals, and it made you more uncomfortable when complete silence fell over you and both Hux and Kylo were giving you all of their attention. Kylo at least probably thought whatever she was going to say was genuine, but the truth was Hannah was definitely not your friend. You couldn’t speak out because you were under her spell, and you were still afraid of her retaliation. “...and tonight, I want you to have this. It’s an old necklace of mine. I hardly wear it but I still want it to go to someone special.” A pompous and heinous grin adorned her face as she stepped away from you, and you were sure your face had gone completely white. It didn’t take a genius to see that this was just another way to control you, to put you on the spot and manipulate you. She knew you were fond of Kylo, and she knew that you knew he loved Hannah more than anything. To reject her in front of Kylo would be harsh, so your only option was to fall right into her trap--just as she wanted you to.

“I love it,” You choked, raising your hand to the necklace and lifting it into your view. It was a simple lapis stone encased in silver wires, and attached to a silver chain. By all means, it was beautiful and the weight of the gem told you it must have been expensive. You dropped it and started to turn back to Kylo, trying desperately to think of something to say to get you out of this mess, but Hannah once again stopped you with a firm hand on your shoulder.

“Oh, wait, it looks like the wire is bent here. Let me fix it,” She said, suddenly grabbing you by your sleeve and pulling you into her. Any closer and your body would have touched hers. It made you incredibly uncomfortable, especially when she began murmuring to you under her breath. “ _ Go along with it. _ ” She said sternly with a nod of her head. You closed your eyes as you fought the lump in your throat away. Another threat that you couldn’t fight. Another battle you had to take a loss for. When she let go of the pendant you turned to look at the two men, to give Hannah what she wanted so you could get onto your evening. Even though you knew it would be difficult sitting with Hux and giving Hannah the satisfaction of controlling you, you decided none of it would matter. She could put you through this situation, threaten you all she wanted to but you had still made up your mind about telling Kylo tomorrow. You watched as Hux turned away from Kylo and swept you up and down. A nervous grin broke over his face and he took a deep breath.

“Well, Clover,” He paused to clasp his hands at his hips. “I, for one, would  _ love  _ to have a date with you. Even if it is in our boss’s home.” Hannah stepped beside you, purposefully bumping you ever so lightly to get you to speak up. You reached up and rubbed your nose, avoided eye contact with both Kylo and Hannah as you nodded your head once.

“Yeah, of course,” You stumbled over your words just a bit. Hux’s eyes lit up in the most convincing way possible. He could have had you fooled for sure. “I’d like to go on a date too.” You admitted, only to jump as Kylo let out an obnoxiously loud laugh beside you. 

“Fuck me, Hannah you _ were  _ right!” Kylo loudly exclaimed. Hux let out a bashful giggle as his face began to turn as red as his hair, and Hannah slipped under Kylo’s arm and beamed up at him. 

“They were made for each other. I knew they would have a good time,” Hannah said, casting a satisfied grin over her shoulder up at you. She was only in Kylo’s embrace for a moment before stepping into the corner and slipping on some high heels. They were leaving you alone with Hux to have your date, and for some reason that was even more horrifying than having them with you. 

“I hope you don’t mind, Clo,” Kylo said with a smile as he slipped his shoes on as well. “You and Hux been so great for us that we wanted to do something special for you two. And who knows, maybe something more will become of it.” His eyebrows raised as he took Hannah’s hand and began shuffling toward the door. He left you with one final comment about going to a movie, and in a flash the Solos were gone, Hannah closing the door with one final wave to Hux. There was nothing but silence, and when you turned around Hux was smiling contently at you. There was no way out of this, and you decided you had to make the best of it.

At one end of the Solo’s long table sat Hux, gingerly picking over his plate of shrimp fettucini alfredo, broccoli, and breadsticks, and at the other end you sat glaring at him. Hannah had pre-plated the food and pre-poured the water and wine and set everything up at the table for you before she left, and now all you had to do was eat. Hannah’s cooking was phenomenal and you were hoping that would be the only positive aspect of this forced date, until you realized that Hannah would have had every opportunity to poison your food and take care of you for good. Instead, you opted to sit there and take your frustration out on Hux visually, and he seemed content in ignoring you.

“Food’s good tonight,” Hux said after ten minutes of silence. He looked up and smiled at you as he chewed, but you were having none of it. You looked down the hall at their closed bedroom door, unwilling to entertain him and Hannah during this set up at all. “You haven’t touched yours at all tonight. You don’t want it to get cold.” You rolled your eyes. Yep. The idea that Hannah was poisoning you was becoming clearer, and you could only assume that she was making Hux sit here to ensure you ate your dinner. 

“I’m not really in the mood to eat,” You said as coldly as you could. You crossed your arms and leaned back in your chair to stare at him. For a moment he kept his friendly facade up and running with a tiny smile, but in the blink of an eye he fell apart. His fork clattered onto the plate and he balled his hands into a fist in front of his mouth. Clearly tonight was just as frustrating for him as it was for you, and his explanation came shortly after his defeated sigh.

“Right, look,” He said, all but demanding your attention with a rigid grimace. “I know you’re angry at me, and I know you’re angry at Hannah. I don’t want to have to sit through this either, but Hannah is  _ scared, _ ” You raised your eyebrows at him.  _ She  _ was scared? What about you? Last time you checked Hannah had been the one to threaten your life, and yet you were supposed to show some sympathy because she was scared? 

“Oh,” You said, looking down to your plate. Really, you had nothing to say to that. In fact, you wanted to stand up and tell Hux off, but was too afraid of what Hannah would do to you if she found out. 

“She loves Ben. You know, Ben takes care of her, he takes care of me and you, right? She’s scared that if she loses Ben her whole life will fall apart. She’s been out of work since before she even met Ben. He promised her that he would always take care of her. And, and god forbid if you tell him and he fires me, then  _ I  _ have no job. Who knows what that would mean for you, right?” He placed his hands on the table, hard enough to rattle all of the plates, glasses, and the floral centerpiece. However, you weren’t afraid of Hux, because it sounded like Hux was much more afraid of you. You stared into his eyes, took his look of begging for exactly what it was, and then obliged him with your speech.

“So what you’re telling me is she’s a gold digger?” You asked, cocking an eyebrow and waiting for his explanation. He cringed, gripped his wine and took a sloppy swing. Clearly you had hit a soft spot talking about ‘his’ woman, and it felt so good.

“No, she loves him but--”

“And you’re a homewrecker,” You cut him off proudly.

“No, I’m not. Hannah told me Ben was abusing her, and she--” He tried to explain, but you weren’t having any of it.

“So your response to hearing that your friend is abusing his wife is to sleep with her behind his back?” At this point, you were demanding answers, but the only one you got was more uncomfortable silence. He clasped his hands in front of his face again and took a deep breath. A silent giggle was born from your throat as you waited for what he would say. A jingle went off from the other side of the table and his phone lit up. He looked down, unlocked it and rolled his eyes at what it said.

“Right, Ben’s just texted me,” He said, putting his phone to rest. “He said if we’re planning on fucking we’d better not do it in his bed.” Just the thought of having sex with Hux put you off food for the rest of the night, and you looked away in disgust. 

“Did you tell him you only fuck married women?” You jabbed at him one more time. He didn’t seem to think it was as funny as you did, but his response told you that he was done taking shit from you.

“I mean, did you want to go to  _ your  _ bedroom for the evening?” He asked, when you looked over at him he looked and sounded sincere. Again, you were disgusted. You didn’t want him anywhere near you or your bedroom, and that question was the final straw. Standing up, you reached for your full glass of wine. In one fluid movement you brought it to your side and then chucked the contents at him. He flinched, blocked the liquid but it only did so much. His pristine white button up shirt was stained for good, and nothing made you prouder.

“Disgusting,” You mumbled under your breath before turning and walking away. You left the man sitting there dripping in what you hoped would be his shame. The droplets would fall from him and soak into his chair, splatter onto the hardwood floor, and he would be left to explain what had happened. This date was officially over. Because there would be no way you’d sleep with a man who would willingly sleep with his best friend’s wife. 

You could never lower your standards that much.


	13. Chapter 13

The next day you paced the floor of your living room, running your hands over your forehead and through your hair over and over as you rehearsed what you’d tell Kylo. You had texted him first thing that morning telling him you had something important you wanted to talk to him about, and he told you he’d be free around 2:30 that same day to talk. He assured you he’d come over to your apartment to give the two of you some privacy, which you were grateful for. Now that it was going on 2:45 you knew he was going to show up any minute now. So you paced. And you thought out loud. And you hoped and prayed that this wouldn’t endanger your job in any way, shape, or form. The knock came pounding from down the hall and startled you, and you could really only stand there frozen in fear for a moment. This was it. This was when Hannah would fall. You seemed to move in slow motion as you made your way to the door, unlocked it, and opened it. You tried to greet him with a smile, but ultimately failed when your eyes met not Kylo’s golden eyes, but Hannah’s cold, conniving ones.

“Oh, sweetheart. Was I not the person you were expecting?” She moaned as if she was speaking to a startled child. Without saying anything else she pushed past you, into your home, into your safe haven, and stood in the middle of your living room. She looked around, her hands planted confidently on her hips and her bouncy black curls swishing around as spun from left to right until she turned around to face you completely. “Love what you’ve done with the place, although there’s not much that  _ my  _ money hasn't bought you.” She sneered. She became a viper, closing in on her prey as she inched closer and closer to you. Although she was smiling, you could see the hatred she held for you plain as day on her face. She scared you, and your flight or fight response was urging you to run. 

“I think you mean Kylo’s money,” You corrected her. You tried to be as confident as you could, to show her that you weren’t one to be messed with, but you could feel your foundation cracking when you noticed it had no effect on her. She still smiled at you as she got closer and closer, so close in fact that she had backed you right into the corner of your kitchen and you had nowhere to do. “What do you want, Hannah?” You asked, crossing your arms over your chest and scowling at her. Yes Kylo paid for this apartment and yes most of the stuff in here was his, but you had signed an agreement that this was  _ your  _ space, and you felt like Hannah had no right to come in here and intimidate you.

“Well, I’m married to Kylo, so it stands to reason that his money is my money too, little girl,” She taunted you, still practically pressing her body against yours. “But that’s not why I’m here. Ben texted me and said he was going to be home late because you needed to have a conversation with him. I just wanted to make sure you weren’t going to be telling him about our little agreement, were you?” She cocked her head to the side as she waited patiently for an answer. Internally you were screaming. You really thought this was the end, thought that Hannah was upset that you didn’t die from eating the food she had poisoned and was here to finish the job. You crossed your arms behind your back to hide your jittering fingers. You hated lying, but you had to. Your life was on the line.

“That’s none of your fucking business,” You bellowed, causing Hannah to take a surprised step back. “But if you must know, I wasn’t going to tell him about your awful secret. My family takes a trip to Canada every year next month and I wanted to know the process of taking time off.” You had never been to Canada in your life, nor did your family often take vacations. It was the best excuse you could come up with and, to your surprise, it seemed like Hannah had bought it.

“I see,” She hummed. She took another step away from you and pulled a small notepad and pen from her rear jeans pocket. “Well it’s good to know I can still trust you. But that sounds like something you could text him about instead.” She once again plastered an evil grin on her face, leaving you feeling severely uncomfortable yet again.

“I can talk to my boss however I want to,” You stated firmly, biting back the urge to call her a bitch. 

“I think you forget that your  _ boss  _ is my husband, you little wench,” She exclaimed. Her voice fell a few octaves as she sneered at you, and you bit back the urge to cry. “Now, why don’t you be a good little girl and text Ben and let him know you realized you could have just texted him about this little matter and cancel this private meeting. For all I know you were planning on sleeping with him too. Then you’d be no better than I am, right?” You shut your eyes, hopelessly pushing the bile in your stomach back down as it tried to make its way out. Hannah was just so gross, so manipulative and such a terrible person. You hated that she was involving you in this fiasco and, at this point, you just wanted out of this conversation. You reached into your sweater pocket and produced your phone, hauntingly made your way to Kylo’s conversation and began to type up some sorry excuse as to why you couldn’t meet with him.

“Good, good,” Hannah said as she oversaw you. Under her scrutinizing gaze you allowed a single tear to escape down your cheek. You couldn’t believe she was here threatening you like this. “Now, while you’re doing that, I heard you spilled wine on my floors and my expensive upholstered chair. Is that true?” She asked, just as you sent off your cancelation text to Kylo. 

“Your boyfriend asked if he could sleep with me, I thought it was what you’d want me to do,” A shiver ran up your spine as you explained why you had splashed Hux with your full glass of wine. From the shake of her head and the way her smile disintegrated, you figured she didn’t believe you. But that was okay, because it was the truth. You refused to entertain Hux and his perverted tendencies, and you hoped Hannah would appreciate it. 

“You’re funny,” She said, her voice full of sarcasm. “How about you march your ass to the Target and get me stuff to clean it up, and be lucky that I don’t dock your pay for acting like an untrained animal in my home after I so graciously made you dinner. Here, I have a list.” She said as she began scribbling onto the notepad. You grew suspicious after a moment when she began narrating what she was writing, starting with addressing that the note was to you, and ending with the fact that she needed some kind of soluble cleaner. However, much to your dismay, that wasn’t the end.

“There’s an extra item on there, and I want you to purchase it separately and I’ll pay you cash for it when you get back,” You expected her to simply rip the paper from the pad and hand it to you, but to your horror she produced a small retractable pocket knife and positioned the tip at the top of the paper. “Can you do that for me, baby?” She asked with a pleased grin. The blood drained from your face as she began slicing the light yellow paper with the knife, creating a gruesome sound that made the fine hairs on your neck stand straight up. The entire time she never broke eye contact with you, and you were sure she was enjoying every second of your terror. You could barely move as she handed the paper to you, and when you did you had to force your clammy fingers to open and accept the paper from her. 

Starting from the slash that she had clearly purposefully put through your name at the top, you read down the entire list. All of the items she needed were there: rags, cleaner, apple juice, eggs. All normal everyday stuff. But the last item was starred, and there was a note next to it telling you to buy it separately:

_ Clear Blue Pregnancy Test.  _

You could hardly contain your horror.

“Thanks again, doll,” Hannah said with a small wave. You lifted your eyes to her and watched her waltz right out of your home, and you were left unable to do or say anything. Hannah might be pregnant. Hannah might be pregnant with Kylo’s child, or she might be pregnant with Hux's child. Tears threatened your eyes again as you finally found it within yourself to move again. You stumbled toward your bedroom where you planned on stripping and showering before going out. Cheating on Kylo with Hux was bad, but becoming pregnant with Hux’s baby and passing it off as Kylo’s was even worse in your eyes. However, Hannah had made it clear that it was none of your business, and she made it abundantly clear by now that she was willing to kill you to keep her secret. 

The entire time you were shopping from Hannah’s list you contemplated quitting. You thought things had officially gone too far with the brandishing of a weapon, then cutting through your name, but you felt like you couldn’t let go. It was such a conflicting subject, and as you numbly threw each of Hannah’s items into the basket you wondered if keeping her secret was even worth it. You rounded your way into the family planning aisle and found yourself staring at the pregnancy tests, unmoving, unfeeling as one final decision began to dethaw in your mind. It would seem like your only two options were to tell Kylo and lose your job, or sit on Hannah’s secret and keep your job. Your morals objected so badly, and you felt like you were betraying your friendship with Kylo by keeping it from him.

But you knew first hand how hard it was to make it in the celebrity industry. You had viewed this job as a huge blessing from day one, and you feared by letting it go only a month into your stay you’d have to wait just as long to find another job in your field. It hurt you so badly to think this, but you didn’t think you had much of a choice. It went against all of your values, and you felt like the worst friend that anyone could ever have, but in the end you made your decision standing there in the middle of Target. You reached for the pregnancy test and held it in your hand for a moment. In your mind you hoped that, if Hannah was pregnant, it was with Kylo’s baby and you wouldn’t have to endure any kind of fallout from it too. You shook your head, angrily threw the test into the basket. If this was going to work for you, you were going to have to change your mindset. The fact that Hannah was cheating was none of your business. The fact that she could be pregnant was none of your business. From this day forward, you were going to have to forget about what you had seen on Halloween night. This was all for your safety, and it was what was best for you. You began walking toward the front to check out, your father’s favorite phrase echoing throughout your mind:

Not your circus, not your monkeys. 

If Kylo were to find out, he would have to handle it on his own. You were only one person. You were only his personal shopper. 

Back at home you lightly knocked on the Solo’s door. It only took Hannah a few seconds to answer, and she answered with the same devilish grin that you hated. You handed her each of the bags and the receipt, and the entire time you refused to break eye contact with her.

“The final thing was fourteen bucks,” You said strongly. Hannah didn’t say anything, instead reached behind her and pulled out her little Chanel purse. She leafed through her matching wallet, pulled out a ten and five dollar bill and handed it to you. Even still, she said nothing. Your new outlook on the situation would not allow her to simply end this interaction without a word. You pushed your arm into the door to stop her from closing it, and in response she flashed you a dirty look. “And just to remind you, I’ll still keep your secret for you. But any more death threats and you can count on the entire city knowing every little detail of your infidelity and how you questioned who the father of your child is.” She narrowed her eyes at you, rolled them as you stepped out of the way and slammed the door shut. It felt great to know you were the one in charge now. You were the one who had the power. You were the one who held her deepest darkest secret. She had to trust you, had to abide by your rules. Returning to your home, you wondered how far you could take it.

You returned to your apartment, wondering what you could do to possibly make her situation worse. She deserved it. To you, Hannah was the worst kind of person, and it didn’t help your need for revenge that she had threatened to kill you twice. You wandered into the kitchen where you pulled a cold can of Sprite from the fridge and cracked it open. You hated that you enjoyed this feeling so much, but you felt like you deserved it. You took a swing, and in the middle of ravishing your sugary drink your phone vibrated. You placed the can on the counter and checked on your new message, thinking it was going to be Hannah with another last minute threat that she couldn’t say to your face. But it wasn’t. It was Kylo with a message that absolutely made your heart melt:

_ “I hope I’m not bothering you, but I just wanted to tell you thank you. I just signed a contract for my second role at the moment. I know I couldn’t have done it without you. You take such good care of myself and Hannah and I firmly believe that you contributed greatly to making this possible for me. Thanks again, Clover. Please keep up the good work.” _

A proud smile stretched across your face at his kind words. You didn’t think that you and your simple job to shop for them would have anything to do with Kylo getting new roles, but evidently he thought the opposite. It made you so happy for a moment, until you remembered that both you and Hannah were actively bringing him down and not taking care of him. Your smile faded as you placed your phone on the counter and just stared at his happy message. You were a bystander and simply letting him be hurt when he didn’t even know what was going on. Again, you felt like a horrible friend, and you knew that no matter how many times you told yourself that this was for you and your protection that the guilt would simply never go away.

You couldn’t even find it within yourself to respond to his message. 


	14. Chapter 14

Weeks went by. Days were lost harboring Hannah’s secret deep down inside of you, hidden from Kylo when he’d take you out to lunch, or when he’d invite you and Hux over for some banter over video games, when he’d message you to thank you for all of your work. Any time you saw Kylo couldn’t help but to envision Hannah’s angry face too. A small part of you would beg and plead with yourself to tell Kylo any time you were alone with him, but the more sensible side of you would always win. It was none of your business, and you didn’t want Hannah coming after you for telling him. So you’d smile. You’d play along with him and pretend like nothing was wrong.

And to your astonishment, it all worked out as time went on.

It was now well into November, and you hadn’t even seen Hux and Hannah together since Halloween. As time passe it became easier to forget about Hannah’s secret until you were reminded by seeing her or Hux. It became easier to focus on you and your needs when you could push all three of them at an arms length away, and your role in Hannah’s infidelity became easier to ignore. You missed the carefree feeling you felt with everyone before you had unearthed Hannah’s secret, and you were sure you’d never get that euphoria back. But that was okay. You were enjoying what you had at the moment; even if it wasn’t as picture perfect as you originally thought it was.

Just three days before Thanksgiving you were at the grocery store shopping for what you’d need to bring home to Tennessee. Kylo had cleared you to go home the day before Thursday and come back two days after, and you figured you couldn’t show up to your parent’s house empty handed. You decided to try your hand at making the mac and cheese for your family, and it called for roughly five different types of cheese, eggs, evaporated milk, among other things. You had never made such an intricate dish before, but decided it would be worth the trouble if it came out as good as the pictures on Facebook looked. You were in the middle of trying to decide what kind of pasta you’d need for it when your phone went off. It was Kylo, and you thought he had incredible timing if he needed you to pick something up for him at the grocery store. You pulled out your phone and went into his message only to find out Kylo didn’t need you to bring him anything. In fact, he needed quite the opposite.

_ “Hi there Clo. I know you were looking to work in the film industry for celebrities. I talked to my studio manager and he said you’re welcome to take a tour of the lot if you’d like. Want to see it today?” _

A burst of energy ran through you as you read and reread his text. No, your goal wasn’t to work on a set, but it still sounded like a remarkable opportunity to have so early on in your career. You compartmentalized his wife’s secret as you so expertly learned how to do as you started typing out your overly excited reply.

_ “Hi boss. That sounds like so much fun. I’m shopping for Thanksgiving right now. Can I meet you around three or will that be too late?” _

You worried that by the time you finished at the grocery store and got everything unpacked it would be too late. On top of this, you had plans to cook the mac and cheese tomorrow to be able to take it to your parent’s house and bake the day of Thanksgiving and to pack for your trip, so you didn’t think you’d be able to make it tomorrow. As always, Kylo typed up his reply to you faster than you could even shove your phone into the back of your pocket to continue your shopping:

_ “3 will be perfect. I was hoping you’d join us and Armitage for an early Thanksgiving dinner tonight anyway.  _

Again, you smiled fondly at your phone, took a quick look around to make sure no one was looking at you oddly at you for smiling to yourself. First inviting you to a set and now inviting you for a Thanksgiving dinner? Kylo was simply too kind to you. Yes, Hannah would be there and so would Hux, but you didn’t even have to interact with them if you didn’t want to. You managed to convince yourself that having dinner with Kylo wouldn’t be disastrous as long as he was there and as long as Kylo was there and you continued to uphold your end of the deal Hannah forced on you. In reality, you were really only looking forward to spending time with Kylo, who was your one and only friend in Atlanta. Taking a tour of his workplace with him and then having dinner with him felt like a good way to get your mind off of things. And you were always up to having a good conversation with Kylo.

Come three o’clock you had all of your groceries put away and were waiting patiently outside of your apartment building for Kylo to pick you up. The sun shone down on you on this bright afternoon, and you sat quietly on the bench outside of the garage waiting for him to show up. You could admit that this had been the happiest you had been since you had walked in on Hannah and Hux. It was like Kylo himself was your safe haven, your protection from Hannah and her threats. Being with him was a comfort. How much of a comfort, you didn’t know, and you wouldn’t know until you had spent more time with him. You hadn’t been alone with Kylo since you had met him on the roof of the building Halloween night. When you were alone with him, you honestly felt like you could be you. There would be no pretending like you weren’t scared, no presenting yourself as a tough, fearless woman when it was perfectly acceptable to be worried given the situation Hannah had bestowed on you. He had been growing on you quite a lot recently, so much so that your heart leapt in your chest when you saw his Tesla driving around the corner. You stood, an excited grin on your face as you ambled over to the curb where he was pulling in. It felt like the weight of the world was lifted off of your shoulders when you saw his look of elation staring back at you from behind the steering wheel.

“Clover!” He exclaimed as you opened the door and slid into his car. It was all still the same. Same leather seats. Same new car smell. Same spotless dashboard. Same handsome, courteous man in the driver’s seat.

“Kylo, it’s been so long,” You settled yourself down and reached for your seatbelt. He pulled off from the curb out onto the road and began to accelerate his quiet car past your apartment building. Just his presence put you at so much ease. You needed this time with your friend, and you would cherish every moment.

“I mean, two days?” He asked sarcastically. “But who’s counting. It’s great to see you again, kid.” He admitted. It was true it had been about two days since you’d seen him, and it was only in passing as you were dropping off some nail polish remover for Hannah. Just a quick smile and hello to the one person you actually liked around here. This interaction would be much more intricate and personal, and you were all for it.

“You too, boss.” You retorted. The city flashed past you as you took a deep breath and began to enjoy the ride. From that point on you and Kylo just exchanged small talk back and forth. Plans for Thanksgiving, plans for Christmas and New Years. Kylo went onto talk about Hannah’s cooking and what Christmas would look like at his parent’s home, and he assured you he would not be sending you out in the madness that was Black Friday. You thanked him twice in a row because you absolutely hated Black Friday. The conversation you held with him was natural. It was pleasant, no awkwardness and it was simply a calm conversation between two friends. It was almost like therapy for the tragic last few weeks, and you allowed yourself to sit back, relax, and enjoy every moment you had with Kylo.

The ride to your destination only took you twenty minutes. Once you arrived, you had officially added Lake City to your list of new places you’ve visited in Georgia. It was odd, to say the least. It seemed like such a sleepy, quiet suburban town; much different from the constant hustle and bustle of Atlanta. You would not have guessed that a filming set would be in this city of all places. Regardless, you still took the time to admire the scenery. The single family homes looked welcoming, some with Christmas decorations out already and others with brown and red fall decor. People outside their homes raked leaves, passers by walked dogs of all shapes, sizes, and colors, and every so often you’d pass a kid or a group of kids walking home from school. You loved the city, but you couldn’t deny the appeal of living in a quiet down like this one.

In a more populated part of the town was a long concrete building. It seemed so out of place when you saw it, and of course it was because it was the studio Kylo just got hired on at. On your way over he told you it was for a commercial for a particular men’s cologne. Perhaps that was the reason for it’s odd location. You really didn’t know. The film industry was still a mystery to you, but what did it matter? You were still excited for your tour and to have a behind the scenes look at what it took to shoot a commercial. 

Even better was the thought that you’d be there to support Kylo. Not his wife who was probably off sleeping with his best friend. You shut your eyes as the pain radiated through your chest at the thought. Here you were taking Hannah’s place in being with her husband while he did what he loved. It almost made you feel guilty, like you weren’t being truthful in your silence to Kylo about the matter. He turned the car off and began to work his way out all while you sat there stewing on your growing anxiety. You could tell him now. It was just you and him. Hannah wouldn’t have to know. You looked over to Kylo to weigh your decision, unbuckling yourself and becoming shocked at the sight of him bending down and peering her head inside of the car.

“I meant to tell you, I’m sorry that things didn’t work out with Armitage,” He said, casting a disappointed look at you. “He told me you were upset with him and left without eating, and he was so embarrassed that he drank both glasses of wine and even spilled one all over himself. I consider both of you my friends, and I didn’t think it would affect either of you that strongly.” You blinked at him as you were at a complete loss of words. What were you even supposed to say about the lie Hux had told Kylo?

“It’s fine,” You cleared your throat. You turned and began to stand your way out of the car, frantically trying to think of an excuse for apparently not being into Hux when the truth was you thought he was a pig for treating Kylo the way he did. “I was just put on the spot and wasn’t prepared, you know? I don’t blame you. Please don’t feel bad.” You chirped with an awkward half smile. Kylo followed you as you made your way from his car and soon the two of you were staring at once another from above his Tesla. He nodded his head at you, silently accepting your explanation.

“All good then,” He swallowed, stepping up to the curb and holding his arm up to the front door of the building. “Ladies first.” He chuckled. You smiled right back at him as you walked through the door being held open by him. If anything, this interaction told you that now was not the time to tell him. Now was the time to enjoy your outing with him, to see what it was like on the set of an actual commercial.

The first part of a building was like a lobby for any other type of office setting you had been in. It wasn’t anything extravagant, instead it was a very small enclosed area where the front desk took up most of the space. Kylo waved to her as the young lady sat behind it playing on her phone, and when she looked up she smiled at him. There was no attempt to try to stop him, or you who had never set foot in this place before. It was sketchy, but decided it was all the reason you needed to stay close to Kylo’s side. 

He walked you down several warmly lit hallways, past several old worn wooden doors that were all labeled starting from the number one and zigzagging from side to side in increments. You walked so closely to him. Any closer and you’d be pressing your shoulder into his arm. It seemed a little too odd of a location to you; you’d even go as far as to say it was creepy with the blotchy grey carpet and the completely silent hall. You knew Kylo would protect you, so you stayed close as you could to him. It wasn’t until he began veering to the right that you slowed down, let him walk ahead of you as he continued to lead you. He stood in front of a door numbered 22 and opened it up, revealing a darkened room that looked exactly like every behind the scenes set you had ever seen.

The room was mostly empty, save for the makeshift bedroom that was made up in the center of the room. There was a fake window with brown curtains that obviously hid nothing but the black set behind it. In the center, pushed up against one of the fake white walls, was an immaculately made up king sized bed with pristine, wrinkless blue sheets and the biggest, fluffiest white pillows. There was a short, stubby wooden dresser, a closed door against the far left wall, and an open door that you could just barely see a bathroom counter and sink in. Not only was the set convincing enough, but the camera and its tracks that it sat on as well as the many people that walked around busy as ever simply drew you in. It was magical. To see even this little bit of the making of a commercial put you that much closer to working in the film industry, and instantly you wanted more. 

“This is where the magic happens,” Kylo said as he continued to walk further into the room. Heads began to turn as Kylo shimmied off his light jacket, ducked into the corner to hang it on a dark metal coat rack. “This is only my second time on set, actually. It’s being shot in three different parts.” He explained as he picked up his pace. People had begun to go back to what they were doing. One man went back to talking on the phone, another went back to writing on a clipboard and several other people took to calibrating the camera. Your head turned to fixate on the well lit set as you tried to keep up with Kylo’s enormous gait, but eventually you had to stop as Kylo came to a halt right in front of you. 

“Afternoon, Mr. Ren!” Said a man in a black turtleneck sweater that walked up in front of him. 

“Afternoon Terry,” Kylo nodded. The man, Terry, held his hand out to Kylo and Kylo graciously shook it. The two men smiled warmly at one another, like they had been buddies for a while and it made you feel good. Kylo was obviously a friendly man and got along with everyone. “Here’s my little tourist. Clover, meet Terry, the commercial director. Terry, this is my personal shopper, Clover.” Kylo introduced you, and you happily took Terry’s hand to shake as well.

“Hello there, Clover,” Terry hummed with a pleased grin on his face. So you’re the one trying to get into PR, right?” You confidently nodded your head, knowing you were essentially selling yourself and your skills to a brand new person.

“Yes, that’s the goal!” You exclaimed happily. Beside you Kylo stepped half a step away to leave the two of you to chat. Just as you were here to support him, he was taking the time to support you and your passions. It made you that much more courageous; you had to remember to thank him when this was all over.

“It’s a great field. I know lots of people in PR and, I have to say, you’ve got a great mentor here. Maybe if you’re lucky Kylo will promote you to his PR person,” He said. The chuckle in his voice seemed to indicate he was joking, but when you looked over to Kylo you saw him shrugging at you with a look of hope in his eye. 

“I mean, I don’t think I need a PR person yet, but I’ve been keeping that possibility on the table,” He sounded confident, like he wasn’t lying to you and to Terry. Your heart fluttered in your chest as the realization set in that Kylo had been looking out for you this entire time, and was just as hopeful for your aspirations as you were. Having Kylo in your close circle of friends suddenly meant so much more to you than you had originally thought.

“Absolutely, absolutely. Well, both you and Kylo are free to stop by whenever you’d like. Please have a look around and make yourself comfortable.” He nodded at you sincerely. “Kylo, we’re about to shoot in another 20 minutes. Just make sure you’re in costume by then.” He warned before turning and beginning to walk away.

“Right away, boss,” Kylo responded loudly. 

“Hey, Chloe, it was good to meet you and I hope to see you around,” Terry rushed as he continued to walk away from you. You snorted at the slip of your nickname. Chloe was new and thoroughly entertaining.

“Alright then,  _ Chloe, _ ” Kylo joked, placing his hand lightly on your shoulder and pushing you forward. “I need to get into costume. I know this shot won’t take too long because the studio closes at 5 for Thanksgiving, and Terry has to catch a flight to California by 530 so he’s definitely going to want to get out of here. Can I get you a coffee or something to hold you over?” He offered as he began walking you to the corner of the studio. 

“No, I’m alright,” You said lightly. Coffee probably wasn’t the best idea at the moment as you had just downed a cup of Starbucks while you were grocery shopping. You tried not to depend too much on caffeine during the day, so instead you just decided to simply sit and watch. You had your phone to entertain you in case you got bored, but even sitting down and having so much to look at during the production of this commercial was fun enough you didn’t think you’d need it. 

“Okay, kid. Down over along the wall there is the stand. They even have little pastries you can eat in case you get hungry. I’ll be done as quick as I can.” With a passing glance over his shoulder he turned and began walking to another open door that was on the other side of the set. He disappeared and you were left to simply observe what was going on around you. Terry stopped to speak with almost everyone on the set. Camera men began stepping away from the camera and one man sat in the seat. Other people began rushing from one end of the set to another, and just as everything began to calm down the door Kylo had disappeared into swung open.

A woman with bright blonde hair emerged, strutting confidently from the wall and onto the set. She was dressed in a satin nightgown that dangled at her midthigh with her near perfect hair cascading down her back and nothing else. If what they were looking for was a woman who looked like she was about to go to bed but not to sleep, then they had hit the nail on the head. Her makeup had been done ever so lightly but still accented the beautiful features of her dainty face, but it still looked as if she was ready to have some fun under the bedsheets. For a moment, you had forgotten that Kylo was apart of this commercial as well. It wasn’t until he emerged shortly after her that your memory was jogged, and when you laid eyes on him your breath was caught in your chest.

This was more of Kylo than you had ever seen, and you could say you were not disappointed in the slightest. His costume for the shoot was a black towel. That was it. No pajama pants. No pajama shirt. Nothing else but a towel that he held loosely at his waist. His hair had been dampened and combed straight down the back of his head, and they had even applied something to his bare chest to make it look shiny, as if he had just stepped out of the shower.

His chest. You had never, ever seen a more beautiful man before in your life. You didn’t know him to work out, but he must have had to because his muscles were so well toned and just barely poking out from under his skin. You were happy to see that his beauty marks existed on other areas of his body as well, and that he had the smallest patch of black chest hair on his sternum. Your eyes were glued to him as he walked up behind the woman onto the set, ducking into the fake bathroom while she climbed onto the bed and picked up a book. It wasn’t until a man walked out in front of him and handed him a bottle of the cologne he was advertising that you snapped out of your spell.

Was it bad that you couldn’t keep your eyes off of him? You had thought he was a good looking man before hand, but seeing everything from his chest to his thighs to his feet made you feel more strongly than you probably should have. You slouched down into your chair and pulled up the Facebook app on your phone, hoping your cheeks would stop blushing as quickly as possible. Had he done this on purpose? Was Kylo into you too?

No, he couldn’t be. He was married, and you had seen first hand his adoration and commitment for his wife. He wasn’t Hannah, and you couldn’t see him cheating on her. Likewise, this was rather inappropriate. Lusting after him was bad. Lusting after married men was not something you did. You couldn’t look at him like this. This was still just him giving you an opportunity to grow in your career. He wasn’t trying to seduce you at all.

So you continued to sit there and observe what was happening. Once everyone was situated and the crew had determined everything was ready to go, a man came out with the clapboard and set everything into motion. The camera was positioned in front of Kylo, and it only took a moment for him to walk out into the fake bedroom with the bottle of cologne in his hand. His character was hyper fixated on the bottle for a few seconds, then lifted his eyes toward the bed. That was it. That was the only thing they shot over and over again until Terry decided the shot was perfect. You couldn’t believe that just a few short seconds to shoot would have to be shot five plus times. The entire thing took a total of twenty minutes to shoot before Terry decided it was time to change scenes. 

Everyone began shuffling in every direction. You lost track of Kylo for a moment as makeup artists came out to touch up the woman’s makeup and hair, as the camera men pushed the camera to where it needed to be, and other people moved pieces of furniture around. Kylo eventually reemerged once the crowd died down, and eventually the only three people that remained on the set were the woman in bed, Kylo in the center of the room, and Terry. You were so far away you couldn’t hear what they were saying, but from the gestures he was making toward the woman you could guess he was just giving Kylo and the woman directions on what to do. Terry smiled at her as she pushed her hair to the side, then took up a position on her side in the bed. The book sat open at her breasts, and you were willing to bet that you knew what was going to happen here. Another five minutes passed before the man with the clapboard stepped in front of the camera and got everything moving again.

The camera was tight on Kylo as he walked over to the bed with the glass bottle in his hand, set it on the bedside table and then dropped in bed beside her. Your eyes widened at the scene that opened up in front of you, at how she turned on her side to look at him for a moment before Kylo moved her hair from her neck and placed a gentle kiss on her neck. Her eyes shut and her head tipped back, and she leaned her entire body back into him. Kylo laid his hand on her hip as his kisses ran lower and lower to her shoulder blades, and you were simply a mess. It was like you were looking at the beginnings of softcore porn featuring your friend, and you didn’t know how to feel.

Especially when, just before Terry bellowed to cut the scene, Kylo lifted his eyes to you unapologetically. It was like he could tell you were incredibly conflicted and wanted to fuel your fire even more. And you felt selfish as you sat there and enjoyed every moment of it. 


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has been one of my favorite chapters so far, and it's a scene I've had in my head since the early stages of the fic were brewing in my mind. I'm so glad everyone is enjoying the story so far! Please hang tight, because it only gets better from here!

True to Kylo’s word, the shoot only lasted about two hours. Part of that time was spent shooting and reshooting the scene where Kylo crawls into bed with the actress, part of the time was them embracing and kissing one another in front of the vanity, and the last few minutes was filming Kylo’s hand as he set the bottle down in front of the camera. You couldn’t believe how many times they had to redo the scenes for a commercial, especially for one where neither of the actors had lines. But you sat and watched as a shirtless Kylo passionately kissed the neck of the actress, held her in a loving embrace, and melted each and every time his eyes briefly met yours. Whether it be running his hands over the woman’s thighs and midsection, or simply standing and waiting between shots, whenever he caught you staring back at him, at his near perfect body hiding behind a towel that barely concealed everything he had to offer, lust burned through your mind and body like a wildfire.

It was so strange to think that while Kylo was getting paid to pretend to be affectionate with another woman, Hannah was being far more affectionate with Hux behind his back. What Kylo was doing was acting. Although his incredible acting skills made the show convincing enough, you had seen how much he loved Hannah and nothing compared to that. You knew Kylo would walk away from this set without another thought of this other actress. Hannah, on the other hand, was far from as innocent as Kylo was. As everyone wrapped everything up and began packing up for the Thanksgiving break, Kylo and the actress both disappeared and quickly reappeared from the fitting room off to your right. He walked back over fully dressed, pulling his jacket closed around him and waving at Terry who was hurrying from the set to catch his flight. You stood to meet him, couldn’t repress your smile as he eventually wandered back over to you.

“That was great,” You exclaimed as you beamed up at him. “Never been on a set before, and your acting was amazing as always!” Kylo chuckled at you, reached into his jacket pocket and jingled his keys.

“You don’t have to flatter me, Clo,” He said, a look of pride flashing across his face. “But, thank you for accompanying me. It was nice having someone I know supporting me. I didn’t feel so out of place.” He confessed. You were elated to hear that your presence had put him at ease during his shoot because that was the plan all along. To support him, even when he seemed to be seducing you without even knowing it. 

“No problem, boss. No problem at all,” You said with a confident nod of your head. Kylo once again lightly placed his fingertips on your shoulders and began steering you toward the door.

“So, are you still up to having dinner with us this evening?” He asked as he held the door open for you to step into the long hallway back to the lobby. “Han’s making it all. A big fat turkey, baked mac and cheese, homemade cranberry sauce. She says you’re invited to have as much or as little as you’d like.” You walked by his side as you weighed the option again. It still seemed safe as Kylo would be there to protect you, and truth be told you were looking forward to spending more time with him. Besides, maybe if Hannah and Hux saw you spending time with Kylo without revealing their secret they would be less inclined to threaten you. 

“How can I say no to Hannah’s amazing cooking?” You grinned at him. He grinned back at you, clearly proud of his wife and her skills as well. You were still nervous, but you reminded yourself that, at the very least, you’d get some good food. Hannah wouldn't stoop as low as to poison you with Kylo in the room with her. You were sure of that, and you wanted nothing more than to continue supporting Kylo for as long as you could. 

Before pulling off Kylo took a few seconds to let Hannah know that you would be accompanying them for their Thanksgiving dinner. In this time you simply could not get your mind off of everything you had witnessed today. Particularly, how it related to Hannah and her cheating. You wondered what Hannah would think if she knew this was what Kylo was doing at work. Knowing her and her manipulative tactics, you could easily see her flipping the script on Kylo and accusing him of cheating if she ever got caught. Kylo backed his car out from his spot and began the drive home and you took to silently staring out of the window. Familiar houses stood still, orange and yellow leaves flashed by. After a few moments the silence got to you, and you decided you could no longer hold the question on your mind back.

“Does Hannah ever get jealous?” You blurted out. After letting it out in the open you realized this question would have probably been better off left inside of your head. A near silent chuckle came from beside you, and when you looked over Kylo held a cocky half grin upon his face. 

“Of what?” He asked. He knew damn well what you were talking about. He was likely being cordial, giving you a chance to back out after asking about his personal life, but you had already gone this far, had already asked the question and everything. You might as well clarify for him.

“Of what you do in front of the camera. She doesn’t get jealous of you kissing other women for your job?” You were blunt, and luckily this time Kylo didn’t laugh at you.

“You know, I don’t really know,” He mused for a moment. He came up to a stoplight, rubbed his palms against the steering wheel as he thought carefully about his response. “I’ve told Hannah that if she ever feels uncomfortable with a role that I take she’s free to tell me to drop it and I would no questions asked. But she’s never said anything even though we’ve both watched my few and far between love scenes together. I’d assume she’s alright with it.” A multitude of cars whizzed by as the two of you sat at the front of the intersection. You knew Hannah would be okay with it, because behind Kylo’s back she was also being intimate with someone else, only she was not putting on an act. The thought was sickening, but you managed to push it out for your mind fast enough for you to come up with an excuse for your curiosity.

“Oh, well that’s good,” You said with a sigh. Traffic slowed down in the intersection and the light finally turned green, and Kylo propelled his car forward at once. “I always wondered how couples handle that kind of thing.” You began to relax once again as he maneuvered through the neighborhoods and out onto the highway. To you, it felt like a tremendous victory. Although Kylo would never pick up on it, you felt like you had gotten the smallest piece of Hannah’s secret off of your chest upon asking him that question. As Kylo accelerated down the highway you looked out the window and smiled. Being with him was so soothing. You couldn’t wait for dinner time.

Upon entering Kylo's home you were hit in the face with the fragrant scent of herbs. You could smell the turkey as if it had just come out of the oven, and the sounds of Hannah moving around in the kitchen told you that more was yet to come. There was something so comforting about walking into a home full of delicious food, even if that food was being cooked by a cheater.

“Happy Thanksgiving!” Kylo bellowed as he threw his jacket onto the coat rack next to his door. You stepped into his home fully and were greeted by Hux standing from the couch to greet you, Xbox controller in hand and arm held out to give Kylo a hug.

“Welcome home, Benny-boy,” Hux said as Kylo leaned into his embrace. Kylo slapped Hux on his back affectionately, and when Hux fell away from him he cut you a cautious look. A desperate look that made him look like he was pleading with you to not give him away as he put on an act for his friend. Behind Kylo’s back you shook your head at him, shot him a glare and then simply looked away. You weren’t interested in playing this game tonight. You just wanted to eat and have a fun evening before going back home for a few days.

“Thanks for coming out to have dinner with us. It means so much to me,” Kylo hummed to Hux. In the background Hannah walked over with a pan in her protected hands. She smiled at the two men in her living room, but when her eyes landed on you it faded just a bit.

“You two are just in time,” She announced loudly as she spun and placed the pan under the warming lights. “The macaroni just came out of the oven. That was the final dish so we’re ready to eat.” Hux wasted no time in stepping over to the counter and helping Hannah set the dish down safely. You had to guess that he had also been helping her with other things around the house too while Kylo was out, but you had decided it was best not to let that thought wander too far. Instead, you took a seat at the table and patiently waited for all of the food to come out. You were determined to make this dinner a good time, if not for you, then for Kylo who was still oblivious to what was going on in his own home.

You made up your own plate after both Hannah and Hux, and as you sat hacking away at the thigh of the turkey Kylo was finishing off by adding some green bean casserole to the last little bit of clear space on his plate. He, just like Hux, piled everything on, and you didn’t blame him in the least. Once you sat down and started eating you were reminded of Hannah’s marvelous kitchen skills. Each and every bite was to die for. She really had a gift for seasoning and cooking in general. The mashed potatoes were unlike any you had tasted before. The turkey had no hint of being dry and was beyond flavorful. The mac and cheese was creamy, and she even added bacon crumbles to the top for added deliciousness. Everything was spectacular, and by the time you were finished you were eyeing the kitchen for more.

“Clover, I see you wanting more,” Kylo cut in after a hearty laugh. You turned your head toward him and smiled. He was always playing around and being silly when he was surrounded by people who loved him. “But, how about Han and I make our announcement, and then we can all go for seconds and thirds?” An announcement? You weren’t expecting him to make some kind of announcement. You looked at Hux who looked calm shoveling one last scoop of stuffing into his mouth, then at Kylo who now stood proudly next to his wife and holding her hand. He looked so excited, so happy as he beamed at both you and Hux from across the table. Hannah looked up at him with an excited grin, clasped her other hand over his and then looked directly into Hux’s eyes. Whatever Kylo was about to say would be good, obviously, but you couldn't shake the nervousness that sat brewing in the darkest pit of your soul.

“Let me just start by saying that you, Clover, and you, Armitage, are our two closest friends,” Kylo said confidently. “I wouldn’t dare think about sharing the good news with anyone other than you two first. Not even my own parents or Han’s parents. I wanted you two to be the first to know that the Solo family is going to be growing by one little bundle of joy.” The good news finally came tumbling from Kylo’s lips, and suddenly you realized why Hannah had been looking at Hux the entire time. Your mouth went completely dry at the news that, to anyone else, would have been joyous. When you turned and looked at Hux he had gone completely white and still as well. Just the other day you had thrown the idea of Hannah being pregnant out the window since you hadn’t heard anything about it since you bought her the pregnancy test, but apparently that had been wrong. Hannah was pregnant. And you knew there was a chance that it wasn’t Kylo’s.

“Wow, Ben, Hannah,” Hux finally broke the silence with an awkward crack in his voice. His eyes were stuck on Hannah, and when you looked over at her she was staring back at him with almost well hidden, panic filled eyes. “Con-congrats you two! I can’t believe you’re going to be parents!” Kylo looked down at Hannah with the same proud father-to-be grin, and Hannah flipped her demeanor almost instantly. A shiver ran up your spine and your stomach churned as you watched her become elated once again, but that look was all you needed to see. Even Hannah didn’t know who the father of her child was, and it was sickening to see her string Kylo along when it was all too possible that he wasn’t becoming a father at all. 

“Yep, found out last week and we go in for our first ultrasound after Thanksgiving. I’m so excited. She’s about, how long again, honey?” Kylo asked. You forced a smile onto your face as to not seem too concerned with what was going on, but on the inside you were floored. Your friend was being played like a fool, might even be tricked into raising a child that isn’t his. Of course, there was a chance that it was his. You thought maybe if you focused on that instead of being in distress, that would put you at ease, but at the sound of Hannah answering his question you realized that simply wouldn’t work.

“Just about eight weeks. Two months, something like that,” She too let out a nervous chuckle as Hux set his fork down loudly on his plate. This was insane. This was borderline intolerable. You just felt so bad for Kylo, and you hardly knew how to contain your disappointment.

“Congratulations,” You whispered, trying to expel the lump from your throat. The look of awe Kylo shot at Hannah as he gently rubbed her belly made you want to cry. In fact, you were so upset that you decided you could no longer eat anymore.

“We have a due date of June 12th, and we plan on taking down the office and turning it into the baby’s room. Still have a lot of ways we have to improve, but we’re just taking it one day at a time,” Again, you could only weakly smile at him while Hux barely gave any reaction at all. You were certain this was not the reaction Kylo was looking for, and you realized you had to make up for it somehow before Hannah became suspicious.

“I’m _so_ happy for you, Kylo,” You forced from the depths of your soul. Your fingers jittered in your lap. You could feel sweat forming on your brow, and when you looked up and saw Hannah scowling disapprovingly at you, you decided you couldn't take it any longer. Hannah didn’t need words to threaten you, and you knew the stakes were now higher than ever. You couldn’t let this continue. You could no longer sit back and simply be a bystander in what very well could ruin Kylo’s life. You stood from the table, looked Kylo in the eye before letting out a cough. “Oh, I’m not feeling too well. I think I’m gonna, gonna go get some rest before traveling. Congratulations again, you two.” You hurried, refusing to even wait to see what anyone had to say. You could feel all three pairs of eyes on you as you stormed from their dining room and into the living room, pulled the door open and leaving the toxicity behind you. Tears formed in your eyes as you fiddled with the key to your apartment, stuck them in the lock and let yourself in. The moment the door closed behind you, you began sobbing. You had it all. A great job with great benefits. A great boss. A great friend. A great place to live.

And tonight you would give it all up. 

The sky was purple and dark blue as the last little bit of light shone into your apartment, and under it you mourned what you would be losing. It was too much. Your mental health just could not take it. You couldn’t imagine the pain Kylo would be in if he ever found out, even if it wasn’t because of you. You could betray Kylo no longer. You had to leave. The glow of your phone temporarily blinded you, but you still managed to navigate to your contacts list and select your mom. Your hands shook as you hovered your thumb over the green call button, but didn’t even get a chance to before there was a loud knock at the door behind you.

“Clover?” Called a voice from the other side of the door. It didn’t take much thought for you to realize it was Kylo. Three more knocks came through the door. You felt them through your back and it was just enough of a disruption for you to jump into action, and without even thinking you turned and opened the door. Kylo held a neutral face the entire time, but when he saw your unraveled state his face immediately fell into a look of concern. “Clo, are you…” He started, but he didn’t finish. Instead he reached his hand out to your face, and you swatted him away. You turned to tears once again as you ran deeper into your apartment. This was the last thing you wanted. You wanted to be alone.

Behind you the door shut. You heard Kylo’s heavy footsteps zeroing in on you, and could feel his eyes boring right through you. You placed your hand over your face and just wailed. This was incredibly unfair. How could someone as gentle, loving, and kind as Kylo be taken advantage of so horribly? He didn’t deserve this. You didn’t deserve this. Hannah didn’t deserve to get away with this.

“Clo, what’s wrong?” He breathed. You turned around to find Kylo reaching for you, his mouth opened slightly and his eyes full of worry. He was trying to comfort you again, and this time you allowed him to. His warm hand cuddled your cheek, and using his thumb he affectionately wiped one of your many tears away. “Stop crying. Tell me what’s wrong.” He begged you softly. You resisted the urge to run into his arms and give him a hug. You needed the comfort. You needed the care. But seeking these things in your married boss did not seem like a good idea at the moment.

“You wouldn’t understand,” You moaned before breaking down into a fit of more tears. Kylo had been showing you the best part of himself this entire evening, and it hurt to think you’d have to let go of it all. 

“Understand what? Just tell me. Is it your family?” He asked, likely pulling from the only thing he knew had been upsetting you lately. You shook your head and his hand fell away from your face. Your cheek was painfully cold in the absence of his palm, and involuntarily you reached for his hand again. You managed to stop yourself before you go too far, and before you could say anything else he cut you off. “Okay, well tell me. If there’s something I can do to help you, I want to do it.” Again, he seemed to be pleading with you. It seemed like you had gone too long without talking, and you had to give him some kind of explanation.

“I just…” You started, trying to find the right words. In the end you decided that it was best just to get on with it. If you would be quitting in the next few days it wouldn’t even matter. You’d save Hannah’s secret, but you’d give it away at the same time. Kylo deserved it, and you deserved your peace.

“Kylo, you’re such a great guy,” You said as you gently placed your hands against the front of his shoulders. “You’re so kind, so smart, and so talented. I just, I...you just _deserve_ so much better than what you have.” You said. Your lip trembled as you stared into his innocent eyes, and you waited for any kind of reaction. When you got none, you adjusted yourself further into his arms. You bowed your head as you repeated over and over that he deserved better, until he finally stopped you.

“Woah, woah, Clover,” He started, placing his hands firmly on your shoulders. “What are you talking about? I deserve more of what?” He asked. You bit your lower lip as you stared at his dimly lit face. Half of his face was drenched in a shadow and the other was illuminated by the diminishing sunlight. You shook your head, and just seconds later a rush of adrenaline coursed through you. Your body chose that moment to remind you of how much you admired him, how handsome you thought he was. How _badly_ you wanted him. He deserved better. He deserved _you._ He pushed you away from him for a moment, and you decided then and there that you would act on your impulses. It didn't matter. You were leaving. You intended to never see Kylo, or Hannah, or Hux ever again after the next week or so. So without a second of hesitation you forced yourself against him, leaned up and placed a light kiss on his lips. 

Your eyes shut as your entire body trembled. You felt like you were suspended on a cloud, soaring high above the ground. Over Atlanta, over the apartment building, over Hannah and Hux. This moment was perfection, but it only lasted a second before he let out an opposed groan. You pulled yourself from him, stumbled away but he caught your hand. He stared back at you with an extraordinary confused look. He just like you panted, out of breath as the kiss had knocked the wind right out of you and him, but he refused to let go of your hand. After a beat of silence he yanked you back, wrapped his long arms around your torso and pulled you in for another kiss. You greedily accepted it, positioning your hands on his back as his went toward the back of your head, taking a handful of your hair and holding your warm body to his. The two of you hungrily kissed one another, filling your space with nothing but the quiet sounds of your frantic movements against one another until Kylo decided enough was enough. With a gentle shove that sent you tumbling into the arm of your couch he broke the kiss, this time staring back at you with tears in his eyes and trembling hands of his own. It was then you realized that Kylo wasn’t amused anymore. He looked mortified with himself, and it was all your fault. 

“What the hell?!” He wailed, wiping his mouth free of your saliva. He looked ragged, horrified, like even he didn’t understand what had happened between the two of you. As the silent seconds ticked by you took a step back, waiting for him to blow up at you. Between deep breaths he bared his teeth, looked around as if he were about to panic. He was obviously angered. Disgusted. Disappointed. You, on the other hand, were calm. Relaxed. Happy. His kiss soothed you. The way he held you so desperately made you feel so much better. If you were going out now, you’d be going out with a bang. It was just as perfect as your spontaneous act of love was. “Clover, what--why would you…? He couldn’t finish his sentence with the way he was panting. You decided to finish it for him.

“Because you deserve better,” You said assuredly, wiping your eyes free of your tears. It would seem now that you had gotten your confidence back after being so bold with him. You loved it, and you wouldn’t let it end here. “I’m, I’m sorry sorry, Kylo. But you--”

“So I deserve better and that means you have to kiss me?!” He exclaimed loudly. You jumped at the sound of his voice. This would be the first time you had heard him yell, first time you had ever seen him get angry, and it was like the man who stood before you was not Kylo. His face turned red and tears brimmed in his eyes. His fists balled at his sides and a vein began to pop from his neck. He looked like he needed to hit something, like something wild was seeping from just beneath his surface. You took another step back, trying to shrink yourself to stay out of his line of fire but it didn’t work. Because Kylo still unleashed his verbal fury against you with no abandon.

“How dare you do this to me, in my own home! Overstepping a major boundary when you know I’m a married man. Clover, how could you do this to me? How could you do this to Hannah?” His voice echoed off of the walls of your living room. In response you pulled your arms into your body, took a step back and tried to make yourself smaller. You could feel your confidence fading away with each syllable, and you felt like there was simply no escaping his reaction. Your tears came once again as Kylo steamed there in front of you, and once he got a good look at you, at your regret, he seemed to change. He relaxed his face, wiped the tears from his eyes and took a deep breath. Within seconds he was calm and collected again, and he continued his conversion in a much more civil manner.

“I don’t know what’s come over you, woman, but it ends here tonight,” He said, turning and heading toward the door. “I, I forgive you, and I hope we can put this behind us. Tonight, I’m going to tell Hannah that you tried to seduce me. Nothing more and nothing less.” With tears in his eyes he weakly pushed the door open, tossed you one last broken look over his shoulder. You took a step after him, yearning to tell him everything you knew but thought better of it. You were still bitter about Hannah, but Kylo was right: you had majorly overstepped his boundary, and there was simply no going back after that.

“I expect you to be available to me tomorrow, professionally. Goodnight.” He ended the conversation by using your actual name, something that you didn't hear from him too often. tThe door closed lightly behind him, and even though it was quiet it left your ears ringing wildly. The second you were alone in the dark you broke down again, moving to sit on your couch and fishing in your back pocket for your phone. You couldn’t be here. You had to leave. Again, tears blurred out your phone but you managed to successfully hit the call button this time. Sticking a piece of your shirt collar in your mouth you held the phone to your ear and anxiously waited for your mother to pick up. The phone rang and rang, and when your mother finally picked up you bit back the urge to cry even harder.

“Hi baby,” Your mother said, sounding warm and happy. You could almost see her comforting expression, and at that point you were simply too comfortable talking to her. You broke down into sobs the second she finished speaking, unable to say anything for a few moments. Your mother stayed silent on the other line the entire time, waiting for you to decide when you were ready to speak. It came sooner than you thought, and when it finally hit you, you jumped right to the chase:

“Mommy,” You breathed, collecting yourself and speaking clearly. “I need to come home. Tonight.”


End file.
